25 Years of Shortland Street: Why Danielle Cormack left Shortland Street

Danielle Cormack was the first core cast member to leave Shortland Street after it launched.

As Shortland Street turns 25, New Zealand on Screen opens the archives to bring us 25 years of trivia.

Kiwi Danielle Cormack has become one of Australia's leading actors, receiving multiple Logie Award nods for her roles in Underbelly and Wentworth. Cormack was first seen on New Zealand screens in Gloss, and in 1992, became one of the original Shortland Street cast, playing nurse Alison Raynor.

Here, she reveals she had no idea what she was in for, speaks of the trials of playing someone "constantly getting left at the altar", and reflects on what it was like to be the first cast member to leave the show.

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