Remember Winners & Losers? Sure you do. The feel-good Channel Seven drama centred on four high school “losers” who meet up 10 years later at a school reunion and then win big at Oz Lotto.
Their new-found wealth brought them new challenges – but the bond between the friends remained strong.
The series, which launched in 2011 and lasted five seasons, was created by Bevan Lee, the creative mind behind Packed to the Rafters, A Place To Call Home and Always Greener. Full of lovable, engaging characters, the series was a hit with audiences.
The regular cast was great. The recurring and guest cast was pretty good too, with Michala Banas, Natalie Saleeba amd Luke Arnold appearing in the show.
Here’s what W&L’s main cast are up to now…
MELISSA BERGLAND AS JENNY GROSS
Fans quickly gravitated to Jenny who, in some ways, was the glue which held these four friends together. Bergland won a Logie for Most Popular New Female Talent in 2012, the show’s only major award. After the show wrapped up, Bergland chased her acting dreams in Los Angeles. This year, she appeared in horror anthology series, Into The Dark, in the movie New Year, New You, on the US streaming service Hulu. She played one of four friends.
VIRGINIA GAY AS FRANCES JAMES
Gay was already a star, having appeared in top drama, All Saints, before she landed in W&L. Her character, Frances was a whip-smart lawyer, but was initially pretty hopeless when it came to relationships. Since the series ended, Gay has popped up on the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club and starred in a theatre production of Calamity Jane. She’s in the new Aussie film, Judy and Punch, which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
MELANIE VALLEJO AS SOPHIE WONG
Vallejo’s sexy character, Sophie was perhaps the most adventurous of the group. An early story arc saw her battling a cocaine addiction. She also had a “will they, won’t they” friendship with doc, Doug Graham (Tom Wren). Since December, 2016, Vallejo has been busy being a mum to son, Sonny. Vallejo, husband Matthew Kingston and Sonny are now based in Auckland, New Zealand. birth she and husband, Matthew Kingston. “Being a mother is the most important role I’ve ever played,” she revealed last year. In December, Vallejo became the newest local face for L’Oréal Paris Elvive.
ZOE TUCKWELL-SMITH AS BEC GILBERT
Bec was the classic girl-next-door and a loyal friend, especially to Jenny. Tuckwell-Smith left the series in season 4. She gave birth to her and partner, actor Damon Gameau’s daughter, Velvet in 2013. Tuckwell-Smith and Damon married in 2016. Although she has mostly taken a step back from acting, Tuckwell-Smith did work on Damon’s 2014 film, That Sugar Film. The family lives in Byron Bay.
DENISE SCOTT AS TRISH GROSS
Scott played Jenny’s lovely mum, Trish in the series. And Scott has been a familiar face on TV screens since the show finished. The ever-popular comedienne is now a regular panelist on Network Ten’s Studio 10 and narrates the Nine Network series, Travel Guides.
