Lynne Hobbs

Name: Lynne Hobbs
First Appeared: 18th September 2000
Last Appeared: 30th October 2025
Played by: Elaine Lordan

Lynne Hobbs, the eldest of the Slater sisters, burst into Albert Square in September 2000 along with her dad, Charlie; sisters, Kat, Little Mo, and Zoe; and their grandmother, Mo. Known for her fiery temper and strong sense of right and wrong (even if she didn’t always practice what she preached), Lynne had a tumultuous relationship with her hapless mechanic boyfriend-turned-husband, Garry Hobbs. Lynne desperately wanted to settle down and start a family, but Garry was initially reluctant to give up his bachelor lifestyle. Despite this, Lynne and the rest of the Slaters wore him down, and the two eventually got engaged.

Lynne worked at Ian Beale’s café, where she often clashed with her colleague, Janine Butcher. Janine’s habit of slacking off and flirting with Garry to annoy Lynne eventually led to Janine getting fired. Meanwhile, Lynne’s relationship with Garry faced numerous challenges, particularly when she struck up a flirtation with womanizing club owner Beppe di Marco. Their connection grew, leading to a brief fling just before her wedding to Garry. Despite Beppe’s attempts to stop the wedding, Lynne went through with it, but their marriage was far from smooth.

In 2002, Lynne’s wandering eye led her back to her ex-boyfriend, Jason James, who had previously dumped her at the altar. Their rekindled romance almost convinced Lynne to leave Garry, but she ultimately chose to stay with her family. Garry, desperate to keep her, forgave her infidelity, but their trust was shattered. Things took another downturn in 2003 when Garry had a drunken one-night stand with Laura Beale, resulting in a pregnancy. This betrayal, coupled with Lynne’s own struggle to conceive, led her to throw Garry out, and the two remained separated for a while.

Despite the chaos, Lynne eventually decided to give Garry another chance, and in 2004 she became pregnant. Tragically, a poorly constructed carnival ride collapse left her injured and resulted in serious complications. Following an emergency caesarean, Lynne survived but lost the baby, and the incident left her unable to have children. Devastated, Lynne blamed Garry for consenting to the surgery, and their marriage couldn’t withstand the strain. She decided to leave Walford, seeking solace with her aunt Jean Harris, and leaving Garry a wreck in her absence.