Ian Hainsworth

"Well, I hate the strawberry, so give me the strawberry."

Ian Hainsworth was Susan Mayer's wealthy British boyfriend and eventual fiancé in season 3. Ian and Susan met under similar circumstances at a local hospital, seeing as how their better-halves had been tragically put in comatose states. The bond between them grew stronger to the point they started dating, but the feelings of guilt shared by them and the sudden awakening of Mike Delfino, Susan's boyfriend, caused great strain on their relationship. Eventually, Ian moved back to England to allow Susan and Mike to be happy together.

Early life
Ian Hainsworth is the wealthy British owner of a publishing house ("It Takes Two"), son of Graham and Dahlia Hainsworth, and brother to an alcoholic homosexual. His family possesses great wealth, including a castle somewhere in the United Kingdom. ("Dress Big") He married Jane Hainsworth, his school sweetheart, who became his only big love and sexual partner through life ("A Weekend in the Country"), until a tragic horseback riding accident left Jane in a comatose state. Ian spent a lot of his free time keeping Jane company in her hospital bedroom, thus excluding himself from most social contact, until he eventually met Susan Mayer, who was in a similar predicament. ("Listen to the Rain on the Roof")

Prior to Jane's accident, she had cheated on Ian with a friend named Ted. Ian took her back but their relationship was never the same, because the trust was relatively gone. ("Come Play Wiz Me")

Season 3
Sometime during the six months that followed the hit-and-run incident that left Mike Delfino in a comatose state, Ian Hainsworth, whose wife Jane was also in a coma, met Mike's girlfriend, Susan Mayer, who became his friend and regular companion during the this trial phase of their lives. Ian and Susan grew closer, bonded by tragedy, and eventually Ian, knowing that his wife is never going to wake up, asks Susan out on a date, an idea that sort of freaks her out. Susan's reluctance derives from the fact that she still believes Mike is going to wake up and that she feels as though a date would technically constitute 'cheating'. Later, a desperately frustrated Susan 'asks' Mike for his permission to let her go out on a date with Ian, all the while hoping he wakes up, to no avail. Susan tries to convince herself that it is nothing much, as a means of learning to gradually let go and move on. ("Listen to the Rain on the Roof")

Ian takes Susan out on their first date, which is cut short when Jane's parents show up and Ian lies that Susan is a doctor new to Jane's neurology team. Later, he tries to make things up to her, asking her out again, but she tells him they should both just focus on their respective comatose better-halves, because otherwise they'll just feel guilty. Ian later crashes the reception of Bree and Orson's wedding, in order to win Susan for himself, by convincing her that there is really no wrong in them reaching out for an opportunity to maybe find happiness together... all of this during a speech he makes, supposedly directed at the bride and groom. Susan caves, and gives him a chance, and thus the two wind up dancing together once the wedding reception is over. ("It Takes Two")

Ian invites Susan to join him at his cabin on the mountains during a holiday weekend, and they wind up accidentally switching their suitcases, which are the same brand and type, and are surprised to find what each other is keeping: Susan has her sexy nightgown prepared... Ian has a collection of condoms. They eventually sit down to discuss sex, and Susan learns that Ian has only ever had sex with his wife... and Ian is blown away by the revelation that Susan has had sex with 11 men. Susan feels insulted by his impliance that 11 is too many, and attempts to break off contact with him for the rest of their stay in the cabin. However, the apologetic duo soon reunite and make amends, and make love for the first time... unbeknownst to the fact that, back in Fairview, Mike Delfino has finally woken up from his coma. ("A Weekend in the Country")

The news of Mike's sudden awakening travels fast throughout the neighborhood, but has trouble reaching Susan up in the mountains. There, she and Ian are going out of their way coming up with flimsy excuses to prolong their stay at the cabin, and Ian tells Susan that when she smiles he feels as though he could love her. Susan is somewhat enchanted by this, and when they later make love he asks her to join him on a trip to Paris, an invite she accepts. However, shortly afterwards, Susan finally gets a call from her daughter telling her that Mike's awake. Susan is horrified to find that her boyfriend has finally woken up from his coma, while she's in bed with another man. A guilt-ridden Susan tries to rush Ian to get her back to Fairview and to the hospital so that she can be by Mike's side, and goes so far as telling him what happened between them should had never happened. Ian is extremely upset, and tells Susan that she can say she feels guilty, but she can never say it shouldn't have happened because she's the best thing that's happened to him in years. A disheartened Susan feels sorry for him, because she knows how he feels, but 'her' Mike is awake. An understanding Ian lets her go, and Susan is thankful. ("Like It Was")

Some time later, Ian invites Susan to a party at his mansion where she can meet a publisher friend of his. Susan is reluctant to go, due to the sudden end of her romantic relationship with Ian, and struggles with the idea of whether or not she should attend said party. After Susan catches Edie and Mike having sex in the latter's hospital room, she joins an equally frustrated Lynette - and later Gaby - for some afternoon margaritas. During the drinking session, her inebriated friends encourage her to go and be with Ian if she feels in her heart there is a future to their relationship. Susan acquiesces and decides to go, and thus shows up at Ian's mansion, drunk... and surprised to find that it is the night of the party. Following a rather embarrassing vomit-related moment, Ian comforts Susan the following morning, and asks her if the things she told him the night before were booze-influenced, or came straight from her heart. Once he hears the expected answer, the two resume their relationship. ("Sweetheart, I Have to Confess")

Before Susan prepares to fly off to Paris with Ian, she is called over to a local supermarket because apparently her daughter Julie was stealing liquor - which had been planted on her backpack by Austin. A disappointed Susan leaves her daughter at the market and cancels her plans with Ian because she can't leave her seemingly rebellious child at the moment. However, Carolyn Bigsby, the betrayed wife of store owner Harvey Bigsby, shows up with a revolver and shoots up the place, with the intent of killing her husband, and takes the customers hostage, including Julie. Susan becomes horrified by the thought of her daughter trapped in the store with a crazy hostage taker, and when Ian finds out via the airport TV, he cancels his trip and comes back to be with Susan and comfort her. Thankfully, Julie comes through the predicament alive and well. ("Bang")

Susan and Ian come home from a dinner date one night to find Julie making out on the couch with Austin. A disgruntled and frustrated Susan forbids her daughter from seeing Edie's nephew, and Julie acts out against her own mother, disrespecting her grounding and insisting that Susan can't control who she dates. Ian agrees that when two people are put in a dangerous situation - such as the hostage shootout - they can become closer, an idea that doesn't please Susan. When the latter brings her ex-husband Karl into the mix to teach Austin a lesson, the subject is somehow changed to cover the fact that Susan is now dating a British guy named Ian, which angers Karl, seeing as how he left Susan so that she could be with Mike and now she's with someone else. ("Children and Art")

One lovely night, Ian brings Susan over to his mansion so that she can spend the night there for the very first time, and come the morning Susan accidentally flashes her naked body to Ian's loyal butler, Rupert Cavanaugh. Rupert doesn't seem too happy to meet Susan and to have her in the mansion, and Susan later learns that Rupert was very devoted to Jane. Susan has the idea of getting a drawer at the mansion to put some of her stuff in it for whenever she comes over, and Ian requests that Rupert get her a drawer, but the reluctant butler takes his time to do so, and meanwhile Susan tries to somehow win him over. When Rupert takes her to a rec room in which old things and furniture are stored (along with the cadaver of a deceased cat), Susan realizes that Rupert kind of hates her, and sees her not as Ian's girlfriend, but as his 'mistress'. Later, Ian brings up the drawer issue again, and explains to Susan that he feels as though when he makes room for her in his heart, he has to push Jane away from it to an extent, but Susan lets him know he doesn't have to do that, there should be room for the two of them. Ian says that if he can make room in his heart for Susan, then he can certainly make room on one of his drawers, and the matter is settled. ("Beautiful Girls")

Before Christmas, Ian tells Susan that his parents are flying in from Chicago, Illinois and he wants her to cook dinner for them, seeing as how they're old-fashioned people. Susan tries to convince him she lacks talent in the cooking department, but he is insistent and she reluctantly agrees. She asks Bree for help, and the latter agrees to cook on her behalf. The residents of Wisteria Lane are shocked when Mike is arrested for Monique's murder. The stains on Mike's wrench that Mrs. McCluskey advised him to clean off are revealed to be of Monique's blood. Susan offers to get him a lawyer, even when she learns it will cost a million dollars to do so. Later, after Susan has broken into Orson's office, she picks up fried chicken for Ian's parents. Ian is furious when she's 40 minutes late. His parents couldn't come because their flight was canceled due to a snowstorm. Ian promises to get Mike a lawyer and pay every cent of it, as long as Susan agrees to never have contact with him again, otherwise he'll just fall in love with her again. Susan reluctantly agrees. "(The Miracle Song")

When Alma Hodge, Orson's presumably deceased first wife, comes to Wisteria Lane to 'make things right', Bree invites Susan and the rest of their clique of friends over for a dinner party so that they can witness that Alma is alive and so that Susan can finally apologize to Bree for her recent behavior. Ian attends the gathering, but eventually leaves the party, angry with Susan, after finding out she saw Mike again even though they agreed she wouldn't see him anymore. Susan explains to her boyfriend that she only saw him to talk about the deal, and that she loves Ian and he has nothing to worry about. Ian is glad to hear her telling him she loves him for the first time, and the two quickly make amends. ("No Fits, No Fights, No Feuds")

Mike meets his new lawyer, Alan Marcus, and Susan is outraged when the lawyer's strategy includes Mike going to jail for 10 years - 5 with good behavior. When she brings this up, Ian is upset with her because she keeps going on about Mike, and he then leaves to go on a business trip to Montreal. Meanwhile, Jane's condition takes a turn for the worse, as she is not responding to medication. Ian calls Susan and asks her to go to the hospital and keep Jane company on her deathbed. He's flying home earlier, but he's worried he might not be there in time. Susan agrees to do so, and when she gets to Jane's room she finds her best friend, Erika Gold, tossing out a man - Ted. Later, Erika explains to Susan that Ted was Jane's lover. Five years before, Jane and Ted were going through some marital problems, as Ian was always away on business and Jane felt lonely, and so she started an affair with Ted. Ian eventually forgave her and took her back, but he never really trusted her again. Susan realizes now why Ian has so many trust issues regarding her and Mike spending time together. Some time later, Jane's blood pressure drops and she is expected to die before the end of the day. Ian calls Susan from his plane on the way back to Fairview, and Susan tells him she doesn't think Jane will be alive when he finally arrives. Ian asks her to let him talk to Jane, because he needs to say some things to her, about issues that seemed so big before but now seem so meaningless. Susan acquiesces, and puts the phone to Jane's ear, as Ian talks to her one last time. Later, Jane's body is seen being taken into the morgue. ("Come Play Wiz Me")

Following Jane Hainsworth's demise, Susan is nervous about attending her funeral, but she wants to be there nevertheless to provide Ian some moral support. There, however, she finds out that one of Jane's alleged friends, Lynn Dean, has shamelessly decided to take advantage of Jane's passing to hit on Ian, going so far as flirting with him at the funeral and discussing with a friend her naughty intentions. Susan overhears this and reprehends the women, and is eventually forced to tell Lynn Dean that Ian is dating her, to keep her off his track. She then goes to sit elsewhere. Later, during the service, Lynn Dean gets up to deliver her eulogy, and uses this as a vehicle to get the information out to the audience that Ian was seeing another woman during his vigil. Susan is thus completely caught off-guard and embarrassed, by being made into the center of attention. Ian later finds her crying at the morgue, and he cheers her up by telling her that she has nothing to be ashamed of, because she helped him through the most difficult time of his life, and he wants to marry. Susan stops him from proposing to her at an inappropriate place, but accepts his proposal to propose to her. ("I Remember That")

When Susan and Ian come to the local hospital to retrieve Jane's belongings, Susan gets some news about her former best friend Bree, with whom she's feuding over Susan wanting to report Orson to the police for his involvement in Monique Polier's death, thus possibly exonerating Mike. Meanwhile, Ian finds out that Mike was planning to propose to Susan the night he was run over and left in a comatose state, which makes him rather anxious. During the opening of the Scavo Pizzeria, Ian takes the opportunity to propose to Susan before the eyes of everyone attending, choosing that place as the 'perfect romantic spot'. Susan says 'yes', and the two kiss passionately, much to Mike's disdain. ("The Little Things You Do Together")

Ian gives Susan an engagement ring with a large rock, but it doesn't fit her finger, so she has it resized. At the jewellery, Susan runs into Mike, who was there to be given back the money he'd spent on the engagement ring he'd hoped to give Susan himself, on the night he was run over. Mike then pays Ian back the money of the defense attorney, and Ian reluctantly takes it, and they chat about the ring Mike was to give Susan. Ian lets out that he knows that the ring was inscribed, and Mike then learns that Jane Hainsworth's possessions were once mixed up with his, and thus Ian saw the engagement ring Mike was gonna give to Susan the night he was run over, which is probably the reason why Ian was so anxious to propose to Susan on the night of the Scavo Pizzeria's opening. That night, during a poker game hosted at the pizzeria, Mike tells Ian his theory, and the two then gamble for a great value: Susan. If Mike wins, he can have his cheque back and he can tell Susan the truth, but if Ian wins, Mike has to back off and stay quiet. Ultimately, Ian wins the hand... ("My Husband, the Pig")

Ian's nerves are on edge when his parents come to town to meet his fiancée. Susan is surely adorable, but her bad luck and klutziness make him worry that she will do something to throw his parents off. Soon enough, he's proven right when Susan accidentally immolates his mother when preparing for a barbecue meal. The ghastly situation is immediately swept under the rug, but during dinner Dahlia can't help but pick up on Susan's current monetary situation, seeing as how she can't afford to replace her chair set. The fact that she divorced her first husband because he cheated also rubs Dahlia the wrong way, because according to her men are weak by nature and thus their women should punish the sin, but love the sinner. Susan disagrees with this point of view, and jokes with Ian that betrayal makes her vengeful. Dahlia isn't pleased. Later, it is revealed that her problem derives from her fear that, should Susan and Ian get divorced, Susan will try to get her hands on half the Hainsworth family's wealth. Dahlia therefore suggests that Susan sign a pre-nuptial agreement, and Susan doesn't want to, because she feels as though it mirrors a certain lack of trust in her. Meanwhile, Susan had arranged to accidentally run into Ian's father cross-dressing in her undergarments. Therefore, during the signing of the pre-nup, Susan hints at him that, should she sign it, she would discuss everything with Ian, including his father's peculiar habits. Graham picks up on this and tears up the agreement, much to Dahlia's surprise. ("Dress Big")

Ian is aggravated when it seems to him that Mike is following him and Susan around, because they keep running into him, even at the fair. Mike suggests to him, sarcastically, that he should just move if he doesn't want to keep running into him. This puts an idea in Ian's brain that he should move back to England. He tells Susan he needs to because of business, and that he wants her to come with him. Susan isn't very pleased at first, and then a deer shows up in the middle of the road and she swerves to avoid hitting it, and drives the car right into a lake. The car is flipped but the couple comes out of it unharmed. However, Ian reveals that he can't swim, but Mike shows up and sees them, and swims to their rescue - mostly Ian's rescue. The British man is annoyed that he had to be rescued by his rival, but Susan's overjoyed that Mike saved them - and their cheese. Susan even buys him a thank-you gift, which further annoys Ian. During their love-making, Ian is apparently unable to continue, due to his frustration, as he clearly feels emasculated. The following night, they try again, after Susan tells Ian that she wants to move to England with him. However, when she says she doesn't want to put her house up for sale because everyone she loves is on that street. This part angers Ian, because he thinks she is talking about Mike. Susan is irritated as well, fed up with his trust issues, and tells him that if he ever brings up Mike again, they're through. She also realizes that Ian wants to return to England because of Mike, and says he can forget it. Susan then rushes over to Mike's place with his thank-you gift, a juicer, and he kisses her, much to her surprise. Susan doesn't tell Ian about this. ("Liaisons")

Following a general blackout on Wisteria Lane, Ian tries to get past his jealousy of Mike by inviting him over for dinner. Susan rushes over to Mike beforehand to try and get him to reject the invitation, but it's to no avail. Susan decides to also invite her single wedding caterer, Maggie Gilroy, to try to set her up with Mike. Mike sees right through this and decides to one-up Susan by selling himself to be a bad character, disclosing of his past incarcerations. Maggie is therefore creeped out by him. She then reveals a surprise she brought for dessert, two wedding cake samples, one that is typically British, 'rich and elegant' - thus representing Ian, and another one that is very American, 'down-to-earth and sweet' - representing Mike. The cakes clearly become a bit of a metaphor in Susan's head, and she can't choose between both cakes for her wedding, because she is obviously having a hard time choosing between Ian and Mike as it is. She freaks out a bit, and after the chaotic dinner party that traumatized Maggie, Ian finds Mike speaking shadily to Susan in the kitchen, and finds out from him that they kissed recently. Ian is angry at Mike and reminds him that they had a deal, and Mike downplays this by saying that he wasn't really gonna give up on Susan because Ian won her in a poker game. This last part surprises Susan, and she is angry to find out that they bet on her. She then breaks off her engagement and dismisses all of Mike's chances with her, frustrated with both of her suitors. ("God, That's Good")

Ian continues to try to court Susan, and Mike, his rival, teases him about it. The two of them are both told by Julie that Susan doesn't want to see either one, and that they should think about what they did. Meanwhile, Susan grows to be increasingly on edge over the whole ordeal, and becomes bitter with men all around. Later, Susan is obligated to attend a psycho-therapeutic session following a mishap, and she bawls to the doctor about her romantic mishaps and her two suitors. The therapist tells her that she needs to make a choice between the two men, because to let one go is natural, but let both go is stupid. Susan then has a talk with Mike to tell him her decision - she's choosing Ian. She loves him and made a vow to him, so she will stick by it, and it seems to be the right thing to do. Ian and Susan therefore get back together, but before they can commemorate Susan's attention is caught by a voice-mail left to her by Mike, in which he tells her he understands her decision, but that he loves her nevertheless. Ian notices Susan's frustration, and decides the time has come for him to leave for England. Susan doesn't understand at first, but Ian explains to her that he knows she loves him, but she'll always love Mike a little bit more, and he doesn't want to be in a marriage in which he'll always wonder whether she's thinking about someone else. They both deserve to be happy. He leaves, and Susan doesn't stop him. ("Gossip")

Season 3
Following Ian's departure, Susan ventures into the woods to go and find Mike, her other suitor, with whom she plans to be. ("Into the Woods") Later, she and Mike finally do get back together, and he proposes to her. Therefore, Susan's wedding plans, the ones she made with Ian, are back on track... but with a different groom in the picture. However, Susan soon learns that her best friend Gabrielle Solis has basically stolen her entire wedding that she'd planned and abandoned when she and Ian broke up. ("What Would We Do Without You?") Before they are to get married, Mike starts picking up a lot more extra work, in order to afford the ceremony of Susan's dreams. He tells her that he can't provide her with a wealthy lifestyle the way Ian probably would, but he'll be damned if he can't give her the same wedding he would have. This all makes Susan feel a little guilty over all of her high expectations, and thus she decides on having a small, private ceremony set in the woods, in which she and Mike finally tie the knot. ("Getting Married Today")

Trivia

 * Originally, Ian's surname was to be Kavanaugh, but was changed to Hainsworth for unknown reasons. His original last name is even present in some of the early episodic press releases for season 3. The last name was later on given to his butler, but with a 'C' instead of a 'K'.
 * An early layout of the storylines in season 3 called for Ian to be around until the season finale, in which Mike would accidentally kill him after they engaged in a struggle. Rumor also had it that Ian had a hidden agenda for Susan.
 * Despite being a recurring guest star, Dougray Scott was featured in the majority of the episodes in season 3, more so than half of the season's regular cast. He was also featured in several promotional pictures of the cast, along with the male adult regulars, a feat that's rare for a guest star.
 * A false rumor came out in 2007 that stipulated that Dougray Scott would join the 'starring' cast of the series in season 4. That rumor died out soon after his character's departure in "Gossip".
 * He can't swim.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.