Home and Away star Juliet Godwin reflects on Bree's emotional storyline

 "It’s such an important story."

Home and Away star Juliet Godwin has reflected on Bree's emotional storyline about domestic violence.

Having joined the show last year, Juliet was almost immediately given an issue-based storyline involving Bree being abused by her husband Jacob.

The abuse escalated to the point where Jacob planned to kidnap his wife, leading to a final showdown where Bree killed him in self-defence as he ominously dug a shallow grave.

Reflecting on the importance of the storyline a few months after Jacob's on-screen demise, Juliet told 7 News in Australia: "I chose to do acting because I wanted to tell important stories, so when I found out that I was doing a domestic violence storyline, I was like, 'This is amazing. It's such an important story'."

Juliet says she saw a unique opportunity for Home and Away to create "awareness about a very important and very sad issue within society".

"I wanted to make sure my performance was as true as possible so I could truly resonate with women who have suffered," she said.

"From what I could gather from my research, there is a feeling that women can get where they feel quite stuck because, sadly, what happens is not only physical violence but there's a lot of emotional abuse.

"And that will wear someone down and make someone second guess themselves, live in fear and make them want to keep this secret."

Juliet researched the issue of domestic violence with the advocacy group White Ribbon Australia and spoke with real survivors. She remains dedicated to raising awareness for the issue and plans to compete in the Walk for WAGEC marathon.

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6.30pm on 5STAR and the show also streams on My5.