| Dani Sutherland | |
| Occupation | Student Kiosk Worker Journalist Novelist |
| Residence | Sydney |
| Gender | Female |
| Relationships | Kel (ex-boyfriend) Will Smith (ex-boyfriend) Kane Phillips (kissed/--) Josh West (ex-boyfriend; deceased) Scott Hunter (ex-fiance Stanford McRae (attraction; his side) |
| Family | Rhys Sutherland (father) Shelley Sutherland (mother) [[]] (;) Kirsty Sutherland (sister) Laura DeGroot (sister) Jade Sutherland (adoptive sister) Dylan Russell (half-brother) [[]] (/-) [[]] () [[]] () [[]] () [[]] () Geoff Webb (grandfather) Avril Webb (grandmother) Pete Sutherland (uncle) Kerry Webb (aunt) Oliver Phillips (nephew) Max Sutherland (cousin) [[(--) |
| First Appearance | 19 June 2000 |
| Last Appearance | 12 November 2004 |
| Portrayed by | Tammin Sursok |
Danielle "Dani" Sutherland is the daughter of Rhys Sutherland and Shelley Sutherland. She's the sister of Kirsty Sutherland and Laura DeGroot. She's also the adoptive sister of Jade Sutherland and the ex-girlfriend of Kel, Will Smith and Josh West. She's also the best friend and foster sister of Brodie Hanson.
Storylines[]
Dani, her mother, father and two younger sisters move to Summer Bay to take over the running of the local caravan park. Dani is initially unhappy about having to move from the city to the Bay and she later calls her boyfriend, Kel (Ben Tate), to come and take her away.
Kel eventually shows up and Dani tries to talk to him about their future. Kel turns nasty and Will Smith comes to Dani's rescue. Dani complains when her mother gets involved in social work, saying that she is putting her career before the family.
Dani also become fed up with her sisters not helping out enough. Dani befriends Will and they later begin dating. Dani also becomes close friends with Brodie Hanson (Susie Rugg), who her parents foster. Dani and Will's relationship hits a rough patch when Dani becomes jealous of Will's friendship with Gypsy Nash.
Dani flirts with Kane Philips and kisses him, but immediately regrets it. When Kane helps Dani carry some shopping home, he comes on to her and she rejects him. But Kane does not take no for an answer and he rapes her.
Brodie finds a shocked Dani and calls her parents home. Dani presses charges against Kane and the case goes to court. Will gives evidence and Kane is found not guilty, which devastates Dani.
Will and Dani try to make their relationship work, even after Gypsy reveals she is pregnant with Will's child, but they eventually break up. Dani is later saddened to learn that Will and Gypsy are engaged. Dani becomes good friends with Josh West and they begin a relationship.
Dani and Josh start arguing and later break up. While on the beach one day, Dani spots Scott Hunter riding on a white horse and they are immediately attracted to each other. A couple of weeks later, Dani meets Scott again and they go out on a date.
They begin a relationship, but it is tested by the arrival of Scott's alcoholic sister, Kit, and Kane's return to the Bay. Dani refuses to accept that Kane is a changed man and she is devastated when she learns that her sister, Kirsty, is dating him. Dani then tries break the couple up and she and Kirsty argue a lot.
When Scott suggests that Dani seeks professional help, Dani becomes upset and goes to see her university lecturer, Ross McLuhan. While Ross comforts Dani, they kiss. Dani becomes upset and gets in her car and leaves. On her way home, Dani hits something. She initially thinks it is an animal and leaves the scene. However, she soon learns that she hit Kane.
Dani is arrested and later found guilty of attempted murder. She is sent to jail, where she is bullied by inmate, Viv "The Guv" Standish. Eventually Dani gains The Guv's respect and they become friends, even staying in touch when Dani is released. Dani continues with her mission to break Kane and Kirsty up, but fails.
However, when Kane helps to rescue her family from a mine shaft and saves several people from a fire, Dani starts to forgive him and accept his relationship with her sister. When Dani criticises Felix Walters in an article published in the university newspaper, he starts stalking her. Felix also gets his girlfriend, Sarah Lewis, to dress as a police woman and tell Dani that Scott has died. Dani tries to confront Felix at the university, but ends up assaulting the dean by mistake.
When Felix is attacked and winds up in hospital, Dani comes under suspicion. Felix later dies and Dani learns from Viv that she ordered the attack on Felix. It is revealed that Felix actually died from a fatal dose of crystal meth given to him by Sarah. Sarah's fragile state of mind causes her to blame Dani and her friends for Felix's death and she starts terrorising them. After shooting Jesse McGregor (Ben Unwin), Sarah is caught and taken to a psychiatric institution.
Sarah later escapes the psychiatric institution and return to get revenge for Felix. When Dani and Scott learn of Sarah's escape, they decide to flee to Paris. However, they forget their passports and return to their house to get them. Sarah surprises them and she ties up Dani, before getting Scott to take her to where the others are hiding. Dani manages to catch the attention of her father and the police, who are outside the house and they free her. She drives to the safe house, where her friends are hiding, to stop Sarah. Upon her arrival, Sarah shoots Noah dead, before turning the gun on herself.
Scott proposes to Dani and she accepts. When Viv tells Dani that she is dying, she asks her to write her memoirs. Dani agrees, but the gesture causes problems with Scott. He starts to believe that Dani is having an affair with Stafford McRae (Rohan Nichol), a representative from a publishing company. Stafford accompanies Dani to Viv's funeral in the city and comforts her afterwards.
He also admits that he is attracted to her and feels that she should not settle down in the Bay with Scott. Dani realises that she and Scott want different things and they break up. Dani then leaves the Bay.