Even though Muriel was fleeing her problems and still living a lie after she moved to Sydney with Rhonda to start a new life, she was gaining confidence in herself. After finding out that Rhonda had cancer, Muriel stepped up and in turn provided the support and compassion that Rhonda needed through her surgery and recovery, all the while promising not to move back to their hometown of Porpoise Spit. However, confronted with the theft of the money from her parents, once again, Muriel resorted back to her lesser self-worth. As a result she agreed to marry an Olympic swimmer who was seeking marriage to obtain the gold medal through Australia instead of his home country. So desperate to marry someone to feel important, she follows through with