Amanda Baker (also Vale and Walters) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Holly Brisley.
[1] In June 2009, it was announced that Brisley would be returning to Home and Away to take part in a secretive storyline.
[3] Amanda arrives in Summer Bay ahead of her ex-husband, Dan Baker (Tim Campbell) wedding to Leah Patterson (Ada Nicodemou) bringing their son, Ryan (Issac Gorman) and is seemingly pleasant to Leah.
The next month, Amanda takes a job at Summer Bay High as a drama teacher to pay off mounting debts owed to Leo Simms (Johann Wahlvaran).
After a tussle, Leo is killed after hitting his head and Amanda panics, dumps the body and plants her jewellery on him.
Amanda discovers that Scott is the father of Hayley Lawson's (Bec Hewitt) baby and when he decides he wants to be with her, She fakes a pregnancy.
Josh West (Daniel Collopy) finds out and begins blackmailing Amanda into helping him with his campaign for Mayor, which he eventually wins.
Graham Walters (Doug Scroope), Scott's grandfather arrived in Summer Bay and informed his family he had come into some money from the sale of his farm.
Amanda has a brief dalliance with Dan after he and Leah fall out but nothing further develops and she leaves again, taking Ryan with her.
Local teenager Belle Taylor (Jessica Tovey) is searching for her biological mother and finds herself at odds with Amanda.
When Peter's son, Drew Curtis (Bobby Morley) starts dating Belle, there is an attraction between him and Amanda.
Kelli then works with her boyfriend Ethan Black to make Amanda's life a misery.
Amanda becomes depressed and begins drinking heavily, which culminates in her crashing her car and as result is arrest for drink-driving.
The following year, when Dan is killed in an abseiling accident in America and his body is flown back to the bay, Amanda and Ryan return for the funeral.
Amanda returns in 2009 for Belle's wedding to Aden Jefferies (Todd Lasance) and she reveals she is pregnant.
Amanda is angered by Aden allowing Belle to stay at home, respecting her wishes.
Belle dies that night and Amanda returns to the city, with Ryan, devastated by her daughter's death.
For her portrayal of Amanda, Brisley was nominated for in the Best Bitch category at the 2006 and 2007 Inside Soap Awards respectively.
[4][5] A Virgin Media writer stated, "Home and Away's serial temptress Amanda was a known attention-seeker and master manipulator.