is a main character on Shortland Street



Dr Craig Valentine is the Head of Shortland Street hospital's emergency department.

An Australian by birth, Craig came to New Zealand at the age of 17 and has lived here ever since. He attended medical school with Shortland Street Head of Surgery Chris Warner and is a talented and experienced doctor.

Dedicated and uncompromising at work, Craig is also a solo father with two teenage children, Jake and Scarlett . Since his wife left them years ago, Craig has worked long and hard to support his children.

Scarred by the breakdown of his marriage, Craig has a deep distrust of relationships. He appears aloof and indifferent towards women - a quality guaranteed to make him irresistable to the opposite sex. However Dr Sarah Potts will always hold a place in his heart, despite the fact that she has been burned by her failed relationship with former CEO Andrew Solomon.

In 2005, Craig met his match in fiery, determined business woman Huia Samuels. He couldn't have Sarah, so Huia was the next best thing. Over the ensuing months they forged a deep bond and Huia moved into the Valentine house. Scarlett in particular, loved having another female round the house and would have been happy to see Huia a permanent fixture in their lives, especially since brother Jake moved to Australia.

In early 2006, cracks started to appear in the seemingly perfect relationship. Craig's hot temper was always at odds with Huia's calm and competent demeanour. After many arguments, Craig was ordered by Huia to take time away from the hospital. As he spend four weeks overseas at a medical conference, it gave him the chance to reassess Huia's place in his life and in his heart. He returned from the conference, and fell straight into the arms of his one true love, Sarah Potts, leaving Huia gutted.

But Craig's road to happiness with the volatile and often flighty Sarah has been anything but smooth. Huia's tragic death in a car bomb explosion left him guilty and alone. He couldn't help but blame Sarah for her part in demise of his relationship with Huia and that relationship eventually came to an end.

Since then, Craig has been enjoying a more casual style of dating and was briefly involved with Alice's fun friend, Meg. But is he really over Sarah or is he ready to commit to a new relationship with someone who could make him forget Sarah altogether? Could dating Alice be a compromise for the woman he really loves, plus someone to fill the empty space at his home since Scarlett joined the rest of her family in Perth?

In mid 2007, Craig suffered a heart attack at Sarah's wedding to TK Samuels. It was literally a case of a "broken heart." But girlfriend Alice was by his side and one would hope that this ordeal would strengthen their bond

Craig was really included in any major storylines in 2007 after his heart attack.