List of Home and Away characters introduced in 2024

Valerie Beaumont, played by Courtney Clarke, made her first appearance on 29 January 2024. The character and Clarke's casting details were announced on 15 January 2024. Tahlia Pritchard of Yahoo! Lifestyle reported that the actress would be appearing for a short guest stint. Of filming, Clarke commented "I remember having no idea how the ship ran because it's such a longstanding show, there are all sorts of things regarding how they shoot." Clarke also said that she thought her character would be "a great challenge to play". She praised Ada Nicodemou for helping her feel comfortable and relaxed on set. Details of Clarke's character were not immediately released, but it was confirmed that Clarke had been working closely with Nicodemou, James Stewart and Matt Evans, who play Leah Patterson, Justin Morgan and Theo Poulos respectively. Pritchard wrote that some fans had speculated that Valerie might be someone Leah met in the mental health clinic, where she recently stayed. In the 3–9 February 2024 issue of ''TV Week'', Tamara Cullen confirmed the theory was true, and Valerie was a friend Leah had made while she was staying at the clinic. Valerie wants to help Leah settle back into the Bay, having got to know her and her state of mind. Nicodemou stated "She was Leah's roommate and best friend in the clinic, so she really relies on her for support in a way others can't." Valerie encourages Leah to invite her partner Justin out to dinner when she returns home.

Clarke later explained that Valerie's friendship with Leah was "a big aspect" of the character's journey. She also confirmed that Valerie would make "a few unsuspecting waves in the community over some different issues", however, she does not have negative intentions. Clarke told Melenie Parkes of Stuff that she tried to play Valerie as empathetic as she could. She also told Parkes that Valerie has a "traumatic" backstory, which she undertook research into to understand it. She stated: "Her past experience is something that I would consider to be incredibly rare, which is kind of what makes it unique and very interesting to play. But definitely not anything that I have lived myself and so it was a great challenge to figure out how I would embody that." Clarke's blonde hair was dyed red for the character, as she knew the producers wanted Valerie to have a "dark" image. She also said Valerie dresses "in a very strong way and certainly isn't of the Summer Bay mentality". Clarke added that Valerie would also have a romance with an existing character. Valerie and Theo (Evans) establish a relationship, but Valerie soon gets him addicted to drugs. She eventually leaves town, after Theo and his band are arrested for possession when the police find Valerie's stash in their van. Provided by Wikipedia