Xanthe Canning

Xanthe Canning is one of the characters in Neighbours. She is played by Lilly Van der Meer

Story
After arriving in Erinsborough, Xanthe makes her way to Number 26 Ramsay Street. When no one answers the door, she heads towards the garden, but Daniel Robinson advises her to come back later instead, as there has been a number of burglaries in the area. Xanthe goes to The Waterhole and tries to get her meal for free by claiming there is a hair in her food. Sheila Canning thinks Xanthe planted the hair and she tries to run out the door, but is stopped by Kyle Canning. Constable Mark Brennan gives Xanthe a warning. Sheila and Kyle later spot Xanthe in their garden and she tells them that she is looking for Gary Canning, as he is her father. Sheila tells Xanthe that Gary is her son and he is in prison. Sheila also learns Xanthe's mother Brooke has run off. Xanthe clashes with Kyle and she later leaves. She ends up staying in a show home. Xanthe befriends Piper Willis (Mavournee Hazel), who suggests throwing a party and charging an entry fee as a way to make money. After being caught by Brennan, he tells Xanthe that she can either stay with Sheila or be taken to a foster home. Sheila enrols Xanthe at Erinsborough High and she initially refuses to go, until Kyle talks with her. On her first day, Xanthe struggles with a reading exercise and is taunted by Gore.

Xanthe takes Brad Willis's iPad and makes copies of an exam, which she sells to other students, including Piper. She is caught and suspended for a week. Xanthe organises a party at Robinson's Motel for Ainsley Gilzan when she and her friends are also suspended for cheating. Sheila breaks the party up and is reprimanding Xanthe when she collapses with chest pains due to a panic attack. Xanthe takes care of Sheila after she is discharged, but soon realises that she has been making out her condition is worse than it is and they argue again. Sheila collapses with a heart attack, but Xanthe believes she is faking it and leaves her alone. Kyle calls the DHS about the incident and as Sheila cannot take care of her, Xanthe is taken to a group home. After a meeting with her DHS caseworker, Kyle apologises to Xanthe and she agrees to stay. Xanthe and Piper compete for a job at Harold's. Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall) gives the job to Xanthe, despite her poor performance. When everyone falls ill at a council event, Lauren realises Xanthe is responsible for the food poisoning and is tempted to fire her. But Sheila convinces her not to and Xanthe learns Sheila bribed Lauren into giving her the job in the first place. Xanthe sneaks off from her school to meet one of her idols, actress Katherine Kelly Lang, but she is caught by Sheila. When Ben Kirk returns, Xanthe is instantly attracted to him. She hangs out with Ben for the day and she gets drunk, resulting in her being sick on Susan Kennedy. Ben is banned from seeing Xanthe. However, Xanthe invites Ben to sneak out with her by arranging a meet-and-greet with his favourite guitarist Angus Young at Lassiter's Hotel. Xanthe and Ben find a large amount of money in Tom Quill's room and take it.

Xanthe is the victim of cyber-bullying and Sheila slaps her bully Alison Gore. Angus Beaumont-Hannay arrives and takes an interest in Xanthe, initially to wind up Ben. He pulls a fire alarm to get Xanthe out of an exam, and then buys her concert tickets for her favourite band. After, Angus and Xanthe share a kiss. Xanthe's sixteenth birthday is spoilt when few attend her party because Alison is having one on the same day. Xanthe decides to have sex with Angus, but Sheila finds out and interrupts them. Xanthe suggests that they have sex in a motel room, but Angus refuses and tells her they should just be friends. Suffering from low self-esteem, Xanthe decides to have breast enlargement surgery. Ben and Piper try to talk her out of it, and she decides not to go ahead at the last minute. When Tom discovers that Ben and Xanthe stole his money, he demands the money back and Xanthe sell unwanted clothing to repay him, telling Sheila it is to help poor children. Xanthe, Ben and Angus decide to do some busking to raise money. Angus pulls out because of a disagreement, but Xanthe encourages him to return. Ben tells Xanthe that Angus's mother has cancer and Xanthe tells Angus. He runs away and takes the busking money with him. Ben and Xanthe find him at Off-Air and Xanthe tells Ben to take Angus's passport. Xanthe follows Angus when he decides to hitch a ride to the airport. They run away from the man who picked them up and Gary finds them and takes them home. Ben and Xanthe confess to stealing Tom Quill's money and Gary orders them to go to the police. Susan tells Gary that Xanthe is falling behind at school and needs a private tutor. Gary tells Xanthe that he cannot afford to buy the expensive dress she wants for the school formal. Xanthe buys the dress with the money Gary set aside for the tutor and lies that the dress was gifted to her in return for advertising on her social media. Xanthe plans to return the dress, but Piper accidentally throws a drink on it. At the end of the formal, Ben tells Xanthe that he has fallen for her and they kiss, but they fall out when Xanthe learns Gary paid Ben to take her to the formal. She befriends Alison. Xanthe begins a relationship with Cooper. Ben wants her back and writes a love poem for Xanthe and ask Alison to take it to her, but Alison tells Xanthe that Ben wrote the poem about Alison. Xanthe and Ben get back together at "Adventure Girl" party for Poppy. Xanthe goes into the back shed but then sees a snake across the doorway and can't answer calls from Ben as she left her mobile phone outside. Xanthe is eventually rescued by Piper who was chasing after her stray cat.