Annie began flirting with Romeo Smith (Luke Mitchell) and they briefly dated before she decided to leave for Japan as part of a student exchange programme.

Best was offered the role of Annie after she began studying at the Sydney performing arts school, Brent Street, where her talent agency, which helped her secure the part, is based.

[5] Annie and her brother Geoff (Lincoln Lewis) were raised by their "Bible-bashing" grandfather, Bruce (Chris Haywood), after their parents died.

[5] They added that she is "a strange mix of knowing farm waif and innocent child, partly muddled by old-fashioned religious morality."

[5] Lewis told a reporter from Inside Soap that Annie and Geoff have a "natural brother-and-sister chemistry" because they both have siblings off-screen and were able to relate to it.

"[7] Annie begins a "cute" flirtation with Romeo Smith (Luke Mitchell), but it is cut short when she leaves Summer Bay for Japan.

[8] Annie later makes a surprise return and TV Week's Carolyn Stewart said it would give "the lovebirds a chance to rekindle the flame.

[8] Annie and her brother Geoff find Martha MacKenzie (Jodi Gordon) camped out in the paddock on their farm and they give her a lift back to Summer Bay.

After falling asleep due to farm work and study one day, Annie crashes out on Lucas' bed and is found by Bruce who assumes the worst and drags her home.

Matters are made worse when Belle gives her a teen magazine with a sealed sex and relationships section, which Bruce mistakes for pornography.

Annie loses her faith after local Reverend John Hall (Paul Tassone) dies following botched brain surgery and she gets drunk.

Aden Jefferies (Todd Lasance) finds her and is blamed for her condition as he previously supplied Tamsyn Armstrong (Gabrielle Scollay) with alcohol.

The couple are nearly killed when Kane Phillips' (Sam Atwell) car swerves to avoid Melody Jones (Celeste Dodwell) and crashes into the school.

Things are strained further when Irene suffers an alcoholic relapse after being wrongly imprisoned for killing her new partner Lou De Bono (David Roberts).

[10] A writer from Holy Soap described her most memorable moment as "finally breaking out of her tough grandfather's shadow and becoming a Summer Bay woman.

"[11] When it was revealed that Bruce had a heart condition, a writer for the Daily Record commented "the thought of shy-as-a-mouse teen Annie getting embroiled in a fight would be enough to do the old man in.

[13] A reporter from the same paper called Annie "impressionable" and quipped that she wandered around the Bay "with her tongue hanging out" when she met the "stylish and confident" Nicole Franklin.