Home and Away teases dark storyline for Theo as he falls into drug abuse battle

A gripping new storyline sees Summer Bay's Theo Poulos start using drugs after being offered a pill by his mysterious new friend Valerie Beaumont during a night out

Home And Away’s Theo Poulos is set for a new storyline that will see him turning to drugs.

The Summer Bay bad boy – played by Matt Evans – starts using pills after getting tangled up with newcomer Valerie Beaumont (Courtney Clarke), who proves to be a bit of a bad influence. Valerie turned up in the soap just weeks ago, and it was revealed that she had shared a room with Leah (Ada Nicodemou) at the mental health clinic.

Since she’s been in the Bay, Valerie has taken an interest to Theo. And according to reports, upcoming scenes of the Channel 5 soap will show her introducing him to drugs.

The pair apparently start to grow closer and Valerie opens up to Theo about her past. Scenes that have already aired in Australia showed her telling him about her brother, and sharing that he was killed in a car accident that she still blames herself for.

Theo later decides to confide in his new friend too, and tells Valerie how his passion for music may be dwindling and how he isn’t doing that well at college. Their new bond sees them heading out together for the evening – and Valerie offers Theo drugs.

Although Theo isn’t convinced at first he ends up taking the pill Valerie hands him and has a great night with his new friend – and it leads to him wanting more. The gripping scenes are set to air Down Under in the coming days but won't be seen here for a while, as Home And Away airs in Australia ahead of the UK.

Plenty of Home And Away viewers are suspicious of Valerie and unsure of her intentions in Summer Bay, with many flocking to social media to ponder what she might be up to. “I don’t trust Valerie, anyone else feel the same?” one person posted on X. Another fan agreed: “Valerie is up to something.”

Others said they were desperate to find out why she was really there. “Come on Home And Away hurry up and tell us who the f*** is Valerie and why she is in the Bay - can’t wait any longer,” said one viewer.