Christine Rodd

Infobox soap character
colour = Television colour|Neighbours
name = Christine Rodd
series=Neighbours


first = 31 October, 2006
last = 27 November , 2007
cause = Exit of daughter and ex-husband.
age = 40+
occupation = Mechanic
spouse = Allan Steiger (divorced)
children = Pepper Steiger
relatives =
portrayer = Trudy Hellier

Christine 'Chris' Rodd (previously Steiger) is a fictional character in the Network Ten soap opera "Neighbours", played by actress Trudy Hellier since 2006 to 2007.

Character

Chris is Stephanie Scully's (Carla Bonner) superior at Carpenter's Mechanics. She took an instant dislike to Steph's stepdaughter-in-law, Janae (Eliza Taylor-Cotter), who had just begun working at Carpenter's, believing that she was too feminine and glamorous to be taken seriously as a woman in the mechanics business. Chris soon fired Janae.

While working at the Scarlet Bar, Janae observed Chris being affectionate towards Pepper Steiger (Nicky Whelan) and accused Chris of being a lesbian. Pepper then revealed that she was in fact Chris' daughter, much to Janae's embarrassment.

However, it was later revealed that Chris "was", in fact, a lesbian. In December 2006, her soon-to-be-ex-husband (and Pepper's father) Allan Steiger (Joe Clements), asked Chris for a second chance. The conversation was interrupted and Chris had to return to work. Later, Janae, who Chris had re-employed, arrived for work, only to find Chris kissing another woman. Janae left before they noticed her, but Janae later confronted Chris and encouraged her to come out to her family. Steiger accepted his ex-wife's homosexuality, but unfortunately, her daughter Pepper distanced herself from her. Chris, however tried not to let Pepper's unfair (and near-homophobic) stance affect her lifestyle. In February 2007, Pepper extended an olive branch to her mother and told Chris that she had accepted her lifestyle.

In late 2007, Chris was furious to find that Pepper and her new boyfriend, Adam (Benjamin Hart) had planned to get married just so Adam could stay in Australia. Chris warned the couple about what would happen if they went through with the marriage, and they later decided to look for another way around the situation. Chris has not appeared since, as Allan and Pepper have both left the show.