The residents of Summer Bay are preparing to say an emotional goodbye to Ari Parata in Home And Away this week.
Ari was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and scenes airing this week will see the character make a heartbreaking exit from the soap.
Throughout this time in Summer Bay, Ari has been involved in some huge storylines, including being held on remand for making a false police confession following Matthew Montgomery’s murder, in order to protect his partner Mia Anderson.
As Summer Bay prepares to say goodbye to Ari, Daily Star takes a look at actor Rob Kipa-Williams’ life – from his link to Jason Statham to the star nearly quitting acting all together.
Heartbreaking Home And Away exit
Rob Kipa-Williams has been a huge part of Summer Bay life ever since joining the Australian soap in 2019.
However fans in Australia were left devastated in March when his character Ari Parata died after diagnosing a rare form of cancer, bidding an emotional farewell to his loved ones as he died surrounded by his family.
The scenes are now due to air in the UK this week.
The actor later took to social media to thank his fellow Home And Away stars and fans for their love and support throughout his time on the soap, saying in a heartfelt Instagram post: “Thank you to the fans, for all the love and crazy amounts of messages and support. Thank you to all the cast, crew, camera, directors, production, writing, makeup, art department and everyone else in between, that make the wheels spin.
“This Iconic Ozzie TV show took risks. I’m honoured to have co-created Maori cultural storylines and will forever be proud of those scenes that made it to screen.. it was true teamwork.. My hope is this opens the door for more diversity.
“Thank you for everything Ariki Wiremu Parata, you taught me a lot. I’m gonna miss you.”
Fans rushed to send their love to Rob in the comments section too, with one viewer saying: “The Paratas were the best thing that happened to H&A! You’ll be missed Ari.”
A second added: “I’m so sad!!! You were amazing on the show! I couldn’t stop crying. I wish you all the best!”
Jason Statham link
(Image: Warner Bros/Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)
Before Rob joined Home And Away, the star already had a long acting career in TV series and films – including a link to a famous Hollywood a-lister.
In 2018, Rob starred alongside Jason Statham in shark film The Meg, where he played D’Angelo.
The film centred around a group of scientists who came face to face with one of the biggest predators to have ever existed – The Megaladon – and also starred a-listers including Bingbing Li and Rainn Wilson.
Along with The Meg, Rob has also starred in TV series including 800 Words as Zac, Legend Of The Seeker, TV film Pearl in Paradise and 2020 film Stranded Pearl.
Alternative career
Although Rob found fame and success with his roles in The Meg and 800 Words, he has since revealed that he almost gave up acting before winning the part of Ari in Home And Away.
The actor told Daily Mail that he was considering moving away from the limelight, and was instead going to embark on an alternative career as a salesman.
He explained that he had lost out on a few ‘big roles’, saying: “I went through this phase in my life where I’d had a few disappointments.
“I got to the point where I wasn’t sure if [acting] was for me anymore … I just needed to focus on creating a more stable life.
Rob then completed a sales accreditation course, but as fate would have it, Channel Seven called him and offered him his now famous Summer Bay role.
However he did joke: “I am actually still qualified. So anyone feel free to reach out if you need any advice on your health or life insurance.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
