After years of living a sober life, Irene gives into her demons and races towards

her biggest kryptonite this week on Home and Away; alcohol.

Still grappling with guilt, Irene (Lynne McGranger) is holing herself up in

her home away from the world as the consequences of her actions with scammer Bronte (Stefanie Caccamo) run rampant in her head.

She almost willingly bankrupted herself and her business which she co-owns with her best friend Leah (Ada Nicodemou), and Dana (Ally Harris) could have been killed after she was kidnapped by the scammers and held in a shipping container!

How did she let Bronte pull the wool over her eyes so much?

“Irene has always prided herself on being a great judge of character,” Lynne, 71, tells TV WEEK.

“And of course, with Bronte, this has gone completely down the toilet.”

Unable to get out of bed, a concerned John (Shane Withington) comes to check on her when she fails to show up for work, but when his attempt at comfort inadvertently upsets her, she swiftly kicks him out and runs to a secret stash of whisky she had been hiding under the sink.

Despite every intuition telling her not to, Irene pours herself a drink and throws it back.

And then a second one for good measure.

Irene is officially off the wagon.

“The shame and despair that she feels is why she goes back to alcohol because it’s an escape for her as most alcoholics know,” adds Lynne.

A bottle down, Irene then makes her way into the coffee cart, where a puzzled Leah and Marilyn (Emily Symons) are shocked to see her fumbling around the place. And when she interferes with Dana and Xander (Luke Van Os), who are having a conversation about their relationship, it’s clear to everyone around her that something is very wrong with Irene.

While Irene has a troubling history with alcohol abuse, she’s always managed to come back from it with the help of her friends. However, will the guilt of Bronte’s scam prove too much for Irene this time, and will it be the final straw that pushes her over the edge?