Ruth Osborne

Ruth Osborne (previously Benson) is the daughter of Jack and Celia Osborne, the half-sister of Darren Osborne and Bethany Johnson, the foster half-sister of Barry Newton, the adoptive half-sister of Tom Cunningham and Jade Albright, and the ex-wife of Kurt Benson.
== Biography ==
=== 1980s-1996: Early Life ===
Ruth was born in England to Jack and Celia Osborne in 1979 or 1980, and grew up in Chester. She was schoolfriends with Sam Marsden and Dawn Cunningham. At some point post-1990, the Osborne family moved to the United States.
=== 1996-1997: Return to Hollyoaks ===
Ruth arrived in the village on New Year's Day 1996, staying with her mother's sister Jane Andersen and Jane's husband Greg at The Dog in the Pond. Shortly after her arrival, Ruth met cousin Natasha Andersen's love interest Kurt Benson at The Dog in the Pond when he - quite literally - fell at her feet. With Natasha having expressed a lack of interest with him before she went on holiday, Kurt began dating Ruth, but she became concerned about Natasha's reaction. Natasha died of a drug overdose merely a month later after her drink was spiked by Rob Hawthorn and Dermot Ashton. Ruth returned to her family in the United States in July 1996, breaking up with Kurt after he turned down her offer of joining her.
Ruth returned to the village in October 1996, reconciling with Kurt and revealing that her family would be taking over The Dog in the Pond from the Andersens. Ruth quickly settled at Riverbank College, becoming the editor of the magazine. In January 1997, Ruth was disgusted when she learned that childhood friend Dawn had an affair with Ruth's father Jack in the early 1990s, resulting in Dawn giving birth to a daughter and placing her for adoption. Ruth agreed to keep the secret from Celia but turned on Dawn, ordering her to stay away from her.
In March 1997, Ruth was stalked by Kurt's co-worker Spike, with Kurt pushing him off scaffolding when he tried to entrap Ruth. Kurt was accused of attempted murder and protested his innocence, Whilst Dawn and Ruth reconciled in the aftermath. Kurt became convinced that Ruth believed he was guilty and fled to Hull, but she followed and the pair married on a whim with Dawn and Jambo Bolton as witnesses. Kurt's trial was held in June, where he was found not guilty. Meanwhile, Ruth's family began to fall apart when Dawn's sister Jude revealed the truth about the baby, and Celia returned to the United States with Ruth's brother Darren.
=== 1997-1999: Marriage Breakdown ===
After Rob saved her from an attack from Spike as he worked on the college repairs, Ruth befriended him to Kurt's anger. On Christmas Day, Kurt and Ruth fell out as they spent Christmas with Jack and his new partner Jill Patrick's family, especially when Kate Patrick took a liking to Kurt and Kurt joined Sol Patrick in winding Jack up. The pair fell out again when Ruth made plans to go on Rob's hill walk in Wales, so she went with Lewis Richardson. After being trapped in a cave with Lewis, the pair shared a kiss. On Ruth's return, she reconciled with Kurt.
In June 1998, Ruth and Kurt moved into 10b Springfield Gardens. Kurt soon began an affair with Kate, which intensified when Ruth went to London for work placement. Ruth discovered the affair in December but gave Kurt another chance. Kate refused to accept that Kurt had chosen Ruth and tried to drown her in the college pool during a fight, in which Kurt intervened and tried to drown Kate in retaliation. In anger, Ruth revealed her discovery that Kate had a different father than her siblings. Meanwhile, Ruth and Kurt realised they weren't meant to be and Kurt rode away from the village on his motorbike.
Not long afterwards, Ruth reunited with Lewis. However, Ruth was left smitten by Luke Morgan and ended up sleeping with him, confessing to Lewis when she discovered that he was only sixteen! Lewis broke up with her as a result. Ruth brought Jasmine Bates on as a lodger, and was left confused when she shared a kiss with her. After throwing Jas out, the pair made up but Jas agreed to remain friends. In August 1999, Ruth made plans to return to the United States but Lewis stopped her. Ruth decided to remain in the village but realised she'd have to live with Kate after offering her the flat!
=== 1999-2001: Domestic Violence ===
Lewis and Ruth's relationship immediately faced issues when Ruth was informed that Kurt had died. Kurt's nemesis Rob returned from the dead, kidnapping the pair, Lucy Benson and Tony Hutchinson and trying to kill them in a nautical test facility. All survived but Lewis struggled with Ruth's grief over Kurt's death. On Millennium Eve, Ruth and Lewis narrowly escaped death when Rob set fire to Finn's Bus during a party. The explosion killed only Rob but left Lewis's friend Finn homeless, so they let Finn move in until he could find a new home.
In April 2000, Ruth discovered that she was pregnant: Lewis was thrilled but Ruth did not feel ready for a baby and had an abortion in secret. Lewis was left devastated over the 'miscarriage', but learned that she had an abortion and hit her. Whilst Ruth remained with Lewis, his gambling addiction and her friendship with fellow journalist Taylor James caused major problems in the relationship. Following a burglary, Ruth discovered the missing items in the office of Finn and Lewis's new nightclub The Loft. As Lewis revealed the truth about his debts to casino owner Lorraine Wilson, her trashing the flat and him stealing valuables to sell and increase the insurance claim, a violent confrontation ensued and Lewis gave Ruth a beating.
Ruth decided to forgive Lewis when he agreed to attend Gamblers Anonymous. When she discovered that Lewis had actually been meeting with Lorraine, she accidentally pushed Lewis down the stairs and he guilted her into forgiving him. However, Lorraine's threats scared Lewis into thinking she would tell Ruth about their affair so he told her himself, and Ruth ended their relationship. Jack became suspicious over the break-up and aired his suspicions to Lewis's mother Helen, who soon discovered the truth about the abuse.
=== 2001: Moving On ===
After discovering that Lewis took out loans under Kurt's name in Ireland, Ruth severed ties with him for good. She began datingHCC tutor John Stuart, facing judgement from her family over the age gap. However, she was alarmed when she discovered that he had a young daughter and ended the relationship. In August 2001, Ruth caught Lewis preparing to burn down The Loft, convincing Finn and Tony to buy Lewis out of the club. As Finn and Tony made plans to move to Northgate Mews, Ruth decided to follow and reconcile with old friend Sam Marsden. She also embarked on a liaison with Tony.
Refusing to take rejection from Ruth, a deranged Lewis followed her to Northgate Mews. As Ruth continued to reject him, Lewis tried to force himself on her and beat her up, only stopping when he believed he had killed her. Whilst Ruth was in hospital, Lewis took an overdose and was discovered dazed by Finn. Whilst Ruth survived, Lewis endured a brutal death. After his funeral, Ruth left the village to work as a journalist in London. Whilst there, she discovered that she was pregnant by Tony, but ended up having a miscarriage.
=== 2003-2022: Returns and Life After Hollyoaks ===
Ruth returned to the village at Christmas 2003, telling Tony about her miscarriage. She tried to revive her friendship with Tony, also making friends with his partner - Lewis's sister Mandy Richardson. However, Ruth and Tony's closeness left Mandy's best friend Becca Hayton, and Mandy's mother Helen, suspicious of an affair. Tony and Ruth convinced Mandy that there was nothing happening, but Ruth decided to leave the village after writing an article that offended Mandy. She made a brief return in August 2004 after The Dog in the Pond was broken into.
In August 2005, Ruth was unable to attend Jack's wedding to Frankie Dean as her flight was cancelled. In June 2006, Jack visited Ruth to allow the Dean family to sort out their problems. In August 2008, Ruth returned for Jack's funeral after he supposedly died of a heart attack, telling Frankie that she was now engaged. In October 2020, Tony discovered that Kurt was actually still alive, and Darren chastised him for what Ruth went through after his 'death'. Jack visited Ruth the same year, returning in November. In March 2022, Luke - in the last stages of dementia - remembered meeting Ruth back in March 1999.
== Rescue Count ==
=== Successful Rescues ===
#Rob Hawthorn, 28th November 1996 - Drove in front of Kurt Benson's car on her motorbike when he tried to mow down Rob.
=== Failed Rescues ===
None
== Appendices ==
=== Residences ===
=== Employment History ===
== Background Information ==
* Actress Terri Dwyer announced her decision to leave the programme in September 2001, with her final scenes airing in the finale of Hollyoaks: Movin' On. She later returned in December 2003.
== Quotes ==
== See Also ==
* List of appearances
* Osborne family
* Benson family
Category:Hollyoaks characters
Category:Hollyoaks: Off On One characters
Category:Hollyoaks: Movin' On characters
Category:1996 debuts
Category:2001 departures
Category:2003 returns
Category:2004 departures
Category:2008 returns
Category:2008 departures
Category:1997 marriages
Category:Osborne family
Category:Benson family
Category:Students
Category:Journalists
Category:Residents of 1 Stockton Lane
Category:Residents of 10b Springfield Gardens
Category:LGBT characters
Category:Book characters
Category:Saviours