The women of daytime are not only strong but also striking, which makes it no surprise that one of these four lovely ladies used to be a beauty queen earlier in her life! They portray nuanced characters that soap fans love and occasionally love to hate on Days of Our Lives (DOOL), General Hospital (DOOL), The Bold and the Beautiful (BB), and The Young and the Restless (YR).
Is the former pageant winner Arianne Zucker (Nicole, DOOL), Michelle Stafford (ex-Nina, GH and Phyllis, YR), Rena Sofer (Quinn, BB), or Gina Tognoni (ex-Phyllis, YR)?
Arianne Zucker
This daytime stunner began her working life early with It Models at the age of 16. Interestingly, before her modeling career took off, she earned a spot on her high school’s cheerleading squad. However, despite her striking appearance, Zucker felt she never fit in with “those girls.”
Luckily for fans, DAYS snapped her up for the role of Nicole in 1998. Unfortunately, she’s chosen to leave that long-time role this year.
Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford won the hearts of soap fans with her Daytime Emmy-winning portrayal of Phyllis on Y&R and ex-Nina on GH. Before she debuted in the world of daytime, she chased her dream of modeling. After so many successful years, this beauty has many acting credits to her name, even on primetime TV. Plus, this devoted mother of two created her own cruelty-free skincare product line called Skin Nation.
Rena Sofer
Rena Sofer began her daytime career as Rocky on Loving, and in 1993 she created the role of band manager Lois Marie Cerullo on GH. Since 2013, this Daytime Emmy-winning actress has captivated fans with the many faces of Quinn on BB.
Fans often love to hate the character she portrays, which means she’s doing it right! Throughout her successful career, this beautiful actress garnered many film and TV credits.
Gina Tognoni
It’s the absolutely stunning redhead, Gina Tognoni who reigned supreme in her earlier years. This amazingly talented sudser star held two different titles — Miss Rhode Island Teen USA in 1991 and Miss Rhode Island Teen All-American in 1993.
Thankfully, just two years after her last win, this Daytime Emmy-winning actress made her soapy debut as Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live, and then she landed the role of YR’s Phyllis when Stafford left. The role has now gone back to Stafford. Which of these talented actresses is your favorite? Did you know about Tognoni’s pageant past?
