Whatever happened to the Spray ‘n’ Wipe lady? Iconic Aussie actress reveals how the popular ad changed her life after becoming famous for promoting the cleaning product

By JIMMY BRIGGS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 21:46 GMT, 8 March 2025 | Updated: 21:54 GMT, 8 March 2025

Australian actress Paula Duncan, known to millions of Aussies for her iconic Ajax Spray n’ Wipe ad, has opened up about how that role will be her legacy.

The Logie-winning actress, 72, recently admitted she has finally come to terms with being known for her work in the cleaning products commercial, despite her long career in film and television.

Duncan has had a five-decade long career in showbiz beginning in the early ’70s, and has appeared in acclaimed productions such as Prisoner, Cop Shop and Neighbours.

But it was her role as the Australian face of Ajax cleaning products from 1988 to 2010 that she is best known for.

She admitted that this has sometimes been challenging to accept.

‘Spray n’ Wipe, I can’t outlive that. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done! I remember the day [in 1997] I got my Order of Australia, which means more to me than my Logies, I tell you,’ Duncan told The Daily Telegraph.

Australian actress Paula Duncan, known to millions of Aussies for her iconic Ajax Spray n’ Wipe ad, has opened up about how that role will be her legacy

‘I remember [former Governor of NSW] Marie Bashir putting the medal on me and saying, “congratulations”.

‘She said to me she thinks of me for all of the wonderful charity work I do, all the stuff I’ve done within the industry… but the thing she remembers me most for is Spray n’ Wipe.

‘I could have cried that that was what I was remembered for the most.’

Duncan added she was very grateful for the exposure the commercial has brought her and said she still takes advantage of it as she auditions for new roles.

‘I am a bit like an old chair in the lounge room. They get rid of everything else and refurbish, but there’s this old chair that stays,’ she said.

Duncan is a two-time Silver Logie winner, twice taking home the award for Most Popular Actress for her role on the long-running Channel Seven series Cop Shop, in 1980 and 1981.

The NSW-born actress is practically a household name and graced Australian TV screens throughout the seventies and eighties.

She even received an award from the Queen and was given a ‘This is your Life’ tribute. 

The Logie-winning actress, 72, recently admitted she has finally come to terms with being known for her work in the cleaning products commercial despite her long career in film and television

Duncan has had a five-decade long career in showbiz but it was her role as the Australian face of Ajax cleaning products from 1988 to 2010 that she is mostly known for

Duncan previously revealed how she feels so grateful to be involved in charity work when she is not performing.

Some of the achievements she is most proud of include raising over $9million for Paralympians and the Special Olympic program, of which she is a patron.

Duncan previously admitted that helping others has been one of the most rewarding things she has ever done.

Her sister is late actress Carmen Duncan, who died in 2019, and appeared in many renowned productions including A Country Practice and Winners and Losers.

Duncan keeps herself busy in her spare time as a doting grandmother to her grandson Seth, who her daughter Jess gave birth to in 2023.

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Whatever happened to the Spray ‘n’ Wipe lady? Iconic Aussie actress reveals how the popular ad changed her life after becoming famous for promoting the cleaning product

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