Delvene Delaney - Actor, TV host

Excerpt from actor, comedian and screenwriter Paul Hogan's autobiography, Paul Hogan: The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower ... My Life (without the boring bits) ...

It was certainly unusual for a successful businessman to regularly come and make a goat of himself on television. But John's (John Cornell) an extaordinary human being. In the hangover cure sketch (on The Paul Hogan Show) eternal virgin Strop (Cornell) was moping because he had no chance of winning the heart of a beautiful girl in a fur coat, who, after an outrageous party at Hoges's place, just happened to be lying unconscious next to him on the floor.

That girl was Delvene Delaney, from Geebung, in Queensland, where she'd been the local TV weather girl. After being declared Model of the Year in Queensland, she'd had a small star turn on a racy soapie called The Box, then done a few other bits and pieces, including a daytime TV show called High Rollers and a film called End Play. I met her at a television function and said to John back in Sydney, "Boy, have i foudn the girl for you." In early 1975 he met twenty-three-year-old Delvene and quickly offered her a role in our show. With no ulterior motives I'm sure ... 

As it turned out, Delvene was a terrific asset for The Paul Hogan Show (by now in colour too!)

As I predicted, John and Delvene were a match made in heaven! They hit it off immediately and were in love only days after I organised their introduction. But Delvene's mum was horrified when she announced she was dating Strop.

"What," she said, "that disgusting yob on the telly?" But we all knew what would happen, Dele's mum changed her mind the instant she met John. Charming bugger.