at a Darwin hospital. Storylines Ruth became pregnant to her boyfriend Geoff Burke when she was sixteen. She gave birth to a son, who she named Christopher. Ruth's parents advised her to place Christopher for adoption. He was later adopted by the Atkins family and renamed Ben. Ruth went on to marry Bill Hails and they had twins, Anne and Lance. Bill and Ruth later divorce and Lance chooses to live with Ruth, while Anne stays with Bill. Ruth comes to Erinsborough to work as Helen Daniels' physiotherapist. Ruth clashes with Philip Martin and after an argument, Ruth is fired. Philip changes his mind after seeing how her departure affects Helen. Philip accompanies Ruth to retrieve her car from Bill and he offers to rent a house to her. Ruth and Philip discover Lance and Hannah are dating and it causes friction between them. The tension between Ruth and Philip comes to a head on Christmas Day when they kiss. Ruth and Philip become a couple despite opposition from their children. When Ben arrives in Ramsay Street, and moves in next door to Ruth, she becomes worried about the amount of time he is spending with Lance and Anne, who had since move to Ramsay Street. Ben confesses to Ruth that he is the son she gave up and after an emotional conversation, Ruth builds up a relationship with Ben. Ruth and Philip break up and Ruth decides to leave Erinsborough. Anne and Lance try to convince her to stay and Ruth relents. She takes a job at Karl Kennedy's (Alan Fletcher) surgery and has a short-lived relationship with Alistair O'Connor (Michael O'Neill). Helen dies and Ruth and Philip become close again. Philip suggests that Ruth, Lance and Anne move in with him and Hannah, but she is not keen on living together out of wedlock. During Ben's race at Calder Park Raceway, Philip proposes to Ruth, but before she can accept, Ben has a car crash. He is rushed to hospital and is left in a coma but later recovers. Ben's father, Geoff, arrives, which shocks Ruth and she warns him that his presence could set Ben's recovery back. Ben decides to move away with Geoff, which devastates Ruth. Ruth accepts Philip's proposal, but before the wedding, she finds a lump in her breast. She and Philip bring the wedding forward and Ben and Philip's son, Michael, return. On