anywhere." Lance later catches Ruth and Philip sharing a secret kiss and they begin a relationship. The BBC said Ruth and Philip's relationship was "no picnic" and their children took time getting used to it. Philip's youngest daughter, Hannah (Rebecca Ritters), resents Ruth until they have a heart to heart talk. Ruth and Philip also had to cope with her long lost son, Ben (Brett Cousins) and his father, Geoff (Andrew McKaige), arriving in town. Piper told the Illawarra Mercury that she would never forget the moment producers told her that she was going to have a 21-year-old son and that her character had been pregnant at 16, which she had kept hidden. Ben comes to Ramsay Street to meet Ruth and Piper said it was "the first time we ever saw Ruth's character as anything but a bright and sunny person." Piper also revealed that uncovering new things about her character led to "really meaty scenes." Ben's arrival won an AFI Award and Piper said the episode was "beautifully written" and she and Cousins were allowed to feed the characters and not just the plot. Ben is later involved in a major car accident and he is left in a coma, which is a testing time for Ruth. Ben goes on to recover. Ruth and Philip get engaged and Piper said while it was an exciting change for her character, she loved being a single parent. Ruth and Philip marry, whilst Ruth anxiously waits for results of tests for breast cancer. Ruth is determined to go ahead with the wedding and Piper said "This is her big day and she wants it to be just right. However, as she doesn't have her results, there is the thought at the back of her mind that the news might not be good. She's doing her best not to think about it." Ruth arrives at the ceremony on the back of a classic Harley Davidson motorbike and she is "thrilled" to see Ben and Philip's son, Michael (Troy Beckwith), have returned for the wedding. Piper said that there is an atmosphere of madness, happiness and excitement to the day. Ruth later discovers that she does not have cancer. After Philip has a mid-life crisis, he decides to move the family to Darwin. Ruth initially considers commuting thousands of miles, but ultimately chooses to follow her husband when she gets a top job