Deal Breaker Characters

Poppy is a red-carpet interviewer and charity event organizer, an earl's daughter with a bubbly public persona and deep private insecurity. She is empathetic, prone to crying over others' pain, and determined to do her job even after harassment. She has long loved Rory and struggles with being judged as shallow or reckless.

Arc: She moves from being hurt by Rory's judgment and ghosting to asserting boundaries and demanding to be accepted fully. After Alastair spikes her drink, she recovers, accepts Rory's love and proposal, grieves Granny Sterling, and reveals her pregnancy.

• Rory Wallace — long-standing crush, love interest, and fiancé
• Rafe Sterling — her overprotective older brother
• Clara Mason — her best friend and brother's girlfriend/fiancée
• Granny Sterling — her grandmother and favorite grandchild
• Alastair Roxburg — aristocratic acquaintance who harasses her, lies about her, and spikes her drink

Rory is a Scottish rugby player and coach, Rafe's best friend and teammate, and Connor's friend and teammate. He carries class insecurity from his scholarship background and a long-held belief that Poppy betrayed him. He is protective, private, and often struggles to communicate.

Arc: He moves from believing Alastair's lie and treating Poppy with hostility to admitting his fault, protecting her, and declaring his love. He proposes after the flashmob, comforts Poppy through Granny's death, and reacts with joy to her pregnancy.

• Poppy Sterling — love interest, repeated apologizer, and fiancé
• Rafe Sterling — best friend and rugby teammate; Poppy's brother
• Connor Douglas — friend and rugby teammate
• Alastair Roxburg — former rugby teammate whose lie about Poppy he believed
• Mrs Wallace (Rhona) — his mother

Alastair is an aristocratic family acquaintance, former rugby teammate of Rory, and donor to Connor's charity. He behaves with arrogant entitlement, repeatedly harassing Poppy and lying that she was with him at the World Cup. He invokes family loyalty and claims Poppy was promised to him.

Arc: His harassment escalates from groping Poppy and lying about her to spiking her drink at the after-party. He remains unrepentant, is punched by Rafe, and is detained by the Sterlings.

• Poppy Sterling — harasses her, lies about her, and spikes her drink
• Rory Wallace — former rugby teammate whom he lied to about Poppy
• Rafe Sterling — punched by Rafe after trying to lunge at Poppy
• Connor Douglas — donor to Connor's charity whom Connor confronts and tells off

Connor is a rugby teammate and friend with MND, a charity representative, Mhairi's husband, and Cleo's father. He is determined to keep playing and to raise money for a cure, joking even as his body fails. He supports Poppy's event work and speaks from his own diagnosis about love and hope.

Arc: His MND worsens until he cannot pass to the left, but he keeps playing and scores the final try for the world record. He remains a moral support to Rory and Poppy and credits Poppy for making the event viable.

• Mhairi Douglas — his wife
• Cleo Douglas — his youngest daughter
• Rory Wallace — friend and rugby teammate
• Poppy Sterling — friend and charity event collaborator
• Alastair Roxburg — donor to his charity whom Connor tells off

Mhairi is Connor's wife and mother of their children, empathetic and blunt. She comforts and defends Poppy, confronts Rory over his treatment of her, and worries about Connor's endurance fundraising. She manages strain and family demands in the posh setting.

Arc: She moves from confronting Rory over Poppy to encouraging him not to give up on her. She remains protective of Poppy and worried about Connor while supporting his need to participate.

• Connor Douglas — her husband
• Cleo Douglas — her daughter
• Poppy Sterling — friend she comforts and defends
• Rory Wallace — friend she scolds and encourages
• Grayson Cooper — he asks her whether Letty is single

Rafe is Poppy's overprotective older brother, Rory's best friend and rugby teammate, Clara's boyfriend/fiancé, and Ozzie's father. He is fiercely protective of Poppy and willing to threaten Rory. He also feels guilt for failing Poppy and judging her.

Arc: He moves from hostile suspicion of Rory to working alongside him. He punches Alastair after Alastair tries to lunge at Poppy and later apologizes to Poppy for not protecting her.

• Poppy Sterling — his sister
• Rory Wallace — best friend and rugby teammate; Poppy's brother
• Clara Mason — his girlfriend/fiancée
• Ozzie — his son
• Alastair Roxburg — punches him after Alastair's claims about Poppy

Clara is Rafe's girlfriend/fiancée, Poppy's best friend, and Zach's sister. She is recovering, large crowds overwhelm her, and her therapy is noted as working. She is fierce in defending Poppy and speaks from her own vulnerability.

Arc: She moves from confronting Rory and accusing him of hurting Poppy to accepting him only if he accepts all of Poppy. She supports Poppy at the hospital and funeral.

• Rafe Sterling — her boyfriend/fiancé
• Poppy Sterling — her best friend
• Zach — her brother
• Lily — her best friend
• Rory Wallace — wary of him but confronts him over Poppy

Granny Sterling is Poppy's sharp-tongued, protective grandmother and says Poppy is her favorite grandchild. She holds grudges, threatens Rory with her stick, and defends Poppy against the family's underestimation. She dies peacefully at ninety-three.

Arc: She moves from threatening Rory and distrusting him to softening after his daily gifts. She leaves instructions for WI cakes and advice for Rory to marry Poppy.

• Poppy Sterling — her granddaughter and favorite
• Rory Wallace — threatens him, then softens toward him
• Lord Sterling — her son
• Rafe Sterling — her grandson
• Doris — her friend and WI member

Josh is Poppy's best friend and fellow red-carpet journalist, loyal, teasing, and protective. He confronts Rory, physically removes Poppy from toxic masculinity, and warns her that Rory will hurt her. He calls her darling and my Powerpuff.

Arc: He remains loyal and teasing; after warning Poppy away from Rory, he later joins Rory's flashmob.

• Poppy Sterling — her best friend and fellow journalist
• Rory Wallace — hostile toward him at first, later joins his flashmob
• Brick — pats him on the back during Connor's speech
• Mhairi Douglas — compliments her as a vision and an absolute delight

Lady Sterling is Poppy's mother, also referred to as Mummy and Mum. She initially underestimates Poppy, calling her a scatterbrain, but later affirms that Poppy is the glue holding the family together. She is protective and shaken by Poppy's spiking.

Arc: She moves from dismissive underestimation to open affection, hugging Poppy and promising the family will say I love you more.

• Poppy Sterling — her daughter
• Lord Sterling — her husband
• Rafe Sterling — her son
• Rory Wallace — warms to him and thanks him for rescuing Poppy

Lord Sterling is Poppy's father, the earl, also referred to as Daddy and Dad. He shows practical caution about Poppy's proposal and is protective of the family name. He becomes enraged at Alastair's behavior and thanks Rory for rescuing Poppy.

Arc: He moves from underestimating Poppy's planning to expressing pride and love for her. He agrees to sort Alastair out and threatens that Alastair and his family will regret it.

• Poppy Sterling — his daughter
• Lady Sterling — his wife
• Rafe Sterling — his son
• Granny Sterling — his mother
• Alastair Roxburg — enraged by his treatment of Poppy

Maggie is a journalist and interviewer who arrives as Rory's plus one and later says she is not dating him. She is perceptive, praises Poppy's interviewing style, and defends Poppy's platform as meaningful. She calls Rory out for staring at Poppy and taking life too seriously.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she challenges Rory, leaves early for an interview, and later supports Poppy plainly.

• Rory Wallace — his plus one/date; she says they are not dating
• Poppy Sterling — praises and defends her

Grayson is an actor and film star helping the charity event because his father died from MND. He flirts with Poppy, comforts her on the red carpet, and becomes a supportive friend, though Rory initially sees him as a rival. He is interested in Letty and regrets upsetting her.

Arc: He moves from flirty rival to supportive friend and teammate in the charity match. He pulls Letty into his side, then chases after her when she flees and later apologizes to Lady Sterling twice.

• Poppy Sterling — friend and red-carpet flirt who supports her
• Rory Wallace — rival at first, later thanked for looking after Poppy
• Letty — interested in her; pulls her close and chases her when she flees
• Lady Sterling — has apologized to her twice according to Lady Sterling
• Brick — teammate who roughhouses with him

Brick is a rugby teammate and friend, emotional and roughhousing. He cries during Connor's speech, is patted on the back by Josh, and playfully shoves and lifts Grayson. He apologizes to Poppy for being indiscreet and telling a journalist about her date with Rory.

Arc: He apologizes for leaking the date information and remains an emotional, teasing teammate through the record attempt.

• Rory Wallace — teammate and friend
• Poppy Sterling — apologizes to her for leaking date information
• Grayson Cooper — teammate who roughhouses with him
• Connor Douglas — teammate he banters with
• Josh — Josh pats him on the back during Connor's speech

Letty is a physio recruited by Poppy for the rugby event. She is intimidated and attracted by Grayson and panics about treating him, ranting about his arse before realizing he overheard. She flees to the physio tent when he pulls her into his side.

Arc: Her arc is unresolved in the notes; she panics, flees from Grayson, and avoids speaking to him.

• Poppy Sterling — Poppy recruits her as physio
• Grayson Cooper — she is afraid to treat him and flees from him

John Hargreaves is the RFU chairman, flattered by Poppy's questions about his playing days and lineout tactics. He becomes open to exploring Twickenham as the venue for the world record charity attempt.

Arc: He does not change significantly; his ego is flattered by Poppy's attention and he becomes open to the proposal.

• Poppy Sterling — RFU chairman charmed by her attention
• Rory Wallace — rugby organizer pitching the Twickenham idea

Alex Costas is a billionaire tech sponsor of the UK Sporting Excellence Awards. He flirts with Poppy during her red-carpet interview and jokes that he is stalking her before his handlers move him on.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he provides playful red-carpet banter.

• Poppy Sterling — red-carpet interviewee and flirt

Steve is Poppy's cameraman. He pats her on the back encouragingly and catches her when she stumbles backward during the red-carpet work.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he remains a supportive colleague.

• Poppy Sterling — her cameraman

Danny Morrison is a young rugby player coached by Rory at The Ravens Under-12s. He tells Rory the other boys say he is too small for the scrum and brightens when Rory praises his rugby mind.

Arc: He gains some confidence when Rory offers to practice his kicking and praises his rugby intelligence.

• Rory Wallace — his rugby coach

Cleo is Connor and Mhairi's youngest daughter. She asks Poppy if she is a real princess, hugs and clings to her, and falls asleep in her arms before being lowered into Connor's lap because he cannot carry her.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she remains affectionate toward Poppy and playful.

• Connor Douglas — her father
• Mhairi Douglas — her mother
• Poppy Sterling — adores her and calls her a princess

Mrs Wallace is Rory's mother, also called Rhona. She is initially cold and wary toward Poppy and questions her career and character, having blamed Poppy for breaking Rory's heart. After learning Rory dumped and ghosted Poppy, she hugs Poppy and tells her to call her Rhona.

Arc: She moves from resentment and cold questioning to warm acceptance of Poppy and anger at Rory.

• Rory Wallace — her son
• Isla Wallace — her daughter
• Poppy Sterling — initially cold, later warmly accepts her

Isla is Rory's sister, married to Milo and mother of Evie and Fraser. She greets Poppy with an enthusiastic hug and defends her during lunch. She is incredulous when Poppy says Rory dumped her.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she remains warmly welcoming to Poppy.

• Rory Wallace — her brother
• Poppy Sterling — warmly welcomes and defends her
• Mrs Wallace (Rhona) — her mother
• Milo — her husband
• Evie — her daughter

Milo is Isla's husband and father of Evie and Fraser. He introduces himself to Poppy while holding Fraser, laughs at the family exchange, and tells Fraser that girls can do anything boys can do.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he remains easygoing and supportive.

• Isla Wallace — his wife
• Evie — his daughter
• Fraser — his son
• Rory Wallace — his brother-in-law

Evie is Rory's niece, Isla and Milo's daughter, and Fraser's sister. She questions Poppy about who she is and whether she kisses Rory, then offers to bedazzle Poppy's boots.

Arc: She moves from curious questioning to warming to Poppy.

• Rory Wallace — her uncle
• Isla Wallace — her mother
• Milo — her father
• Fraser — her brother
• Poppy Sterling — questions her, then warms to her

Fraser is Rory's nephew, Isla and Milo's son, and Evie's brother. He tackles Rory, asks Poppy about Yorkshire puddings and Nerf war, declares girls are rubbish at Nerf war, and later plays Nerf war with Poppy.

Arc: He moves from challenging Poppy to playing with her.

• Rory Wallace — his uncle
• Isla Wallace — his mother
• Milo — his father
• Evie — his sister
• Poppy Sterling — challenges her about Nerf war, then plays with her

Ozzie is Rafe's son and Poppy's nephew. He rugby-tackles Rory on the driveway, interrupts Rory's near-kiss with Poppy, asks whether Connor is faking being sick, and is made a mascot by Rory.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he remains energetic and playful with the family.

• Rafe Sterling — his father
• Poppy Sterling — his aunt
• Clara Mason — plays Where Are You, Moriarty? with her
• Rory Wallace — rugby-tackles him and is made a mascot by him
• Zach — banters with him

Doris is a WI member and Granny Sterling's friend. She flirts with Rory, pours him tea, and suggests the rugby players make a WI fundraising calendar.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she remains entertained by Rory and supportive of the fundraiser.

• Granny Sterling — her friend and WI member
• Rory Wallace — flirts with him
• Poppy Sterling — teases her about Rory

Mildred is a WI member and Granny Sterling's friend. She teases Rory by suggesting the rugby players will need deep tissue massage, especially in the gluteal region, and Poppy is pretty sure she pinches Rory's arse.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she remains teasing and supportive of the WI fundraising banter.

• Granny Sterling — her friend and WI member
• Rory Wallace — teases and flirts with him
• Poppy Sterling — jokes with her

Eugene is a family friend and Poppy's only previous sexual partner. Poppy says they had sex when they were twenty-two, she bled and he cried, and they tried again a few times but it never clicked.

Arc: He does not change; he exists in Poppy's past sexual history as described to Rory.

• Poppy Sterling — family friend and her only previous sexual partner

George is a lonely widower in his nineties at the WI meeting. Poppy says his gratitude after her visits made her cry.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he is shown as lonely and grateful for Poppy's visits.

• Poppy Sterling — elderly WI acquaintance she visits to cheer up

Dave is a driver who takes Poppy to the gala and later drives Rory, Poppy, Rafe, and Clara to the hospital. He asks Poppy if she is okay and criticizes Rory for not supporting her on the red carpet.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he remains concerned for Poppy.

• Poppy Sterling — drives her and is concerned for her
• Rory Wallace — criticizes him for not supporting Poppy

Barclay is the Prime Minister and Kira's husband. He talks with Poppy and Kira, asks Rory why he was not on the red carpet, and advises Rory to love, respect, and take notice of his wife.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he offers marriage advice to Rory.

• Kira — his wife
• Poppy Sterling — event guest he speaks with
• Rory Wallace — advises him about respecting his wife

Kira is Barclay's wife, playful and supportive of Poppy. She jokes about Poppy asking her husband for a date, offers to go on a date with Poppy instead, and performs in Rory's flashmob.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she befriends Poppy and supports the flashmob plan.

• Barclay — her husband
• Poppy Sterling — new friend she befriends
• Rory Wallace — participates in his flashmob plan

Zach is Clara's brother. He attends the charity event as a witness, stays cautious around Rory, interrupts Clara's conversation with him, and banters with Ozzie.

Arc: He does not change significantly; he remains cautious around Rory and comfortable with the Sterlings.

• Clara Mason — his sister
• Poppy Sterling — friend and event supporter
• Ozzie — banters with him

Lily is Clara's best friend and Poppy's friend. She hugs Poppy at the charity event, says her speech was dog's bollocks, and helped Poppy rehearse the speeches.

Arc: She does not change significantly; she remains a supportive friend to Poppy.

• Poppy Sterling — friend who helped her rehearse speeches
• Clara Mason — her best friend