and "keen church goer" with a "bitter life". In the book Home and Away Special Celia and her older sister Morag Bellingham (Cornelia Frances) are described as being "two sides of a coin". Celia is "quiet and conservative", which contrasts with the "ruthless" Morag. Andrew Mercado wrote in his book, Super Aussie Soaps, that she was a "prudish" character. She has also been described as a "bitter spinster" and the "town gossip". Celia was similarly described by the serial writing team as, "the town's busy-body spinster, bitter that love has passed her by and taking that bitterness out on the world." She is a "major ally" to Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) and loves to gossip because it "helps fill her life". Despite these traits, there is "not a malicious bone in her body". In the book Home and Away: Behind the Scenes, Spence told James Oram that Celia is very different from the character she previously played on Prisoner. Unlike Vera Bennett, Celia is "very vulnerable". Celia is involved a comedy storyline in which locals search for the Summer Bay bunyip. Spence said that her funniest night shoot occurred while filming Alf cooking bunyip burgers and Celia selling tea towels. She also revealed that there would some changes to her character. After one year in the series, Spence had hoped that Celia would find a man and dress better. Home and Away's writers then informed Spence that they would make those slight changes. She told Oram that "there's a touch of romance that will be wonderful for Celia and there will be a remarkable change in her appearance. Celia will be going on a shopping spree to buy some rather smart outfits." Other than Spence, Celia has been portrayed by Gilda Ferguson, Tatham Lennox, and Annie Buckley in flashback sequences. Returns (2000-05) In 1990, Spence decided to leave Home and Away and Celia was written out. Spence reprised her role as Celia in 2000 and 2002. In 2005, she returned for the serial's 4,000th episode based around Alf Stewart's (Ray Meagher) 60th birthday. During her time away, Celia had been working as a missionary in Africa. But after she was taken hostage, she returned to Summer Bay but left soon after. While two of her returns were brief, her 2002 return was a longer stint. As Andrea Black noted in Home and Away Official Collector’s Edition, her visit "started well