Bobbie Off The Back Burner: Jacklyn Zeman Opens Up About Diabetes Story

General Hospital star Jacklyn Zeman has been a fixture in Port Charles for over for over four decades as Bobbie Spencer. She’s taken care of a lot of patients, but now it’s time for the nurse to take care of herself!

As viewers saw this week, Lucas (Ryan Carnes), Bobbie’s adopted doctor son, confirmed his suspicion that his mom has type 2 diabetes.

Zeman has spoken out about being chosen to help tell the social issue story and her long-running on-screen dynamic with Kin Shriner (Scotty), who has been standing by Bobbie through this development, despite having leg injury and their complicated past.

“The complexity of getting to play Bobbie having type 2 diabetes is very interesting because there are so many people who are affected by diabetes in this country,” Zeman told TV Insider.

“This story is a reminder of the complexities of life, the cycle of life. Wonderful things happen and challenging things happen. Sometimes, they happen at the same time. You have to look at it and say it’s all good.”

As veteran GH fans recall the two have a complicated and long history dating back to when Bobbie was obsessed with taking him away from Laura (Genie Francis). Bobbie lied to Scotty that she was pregnant with his kid, but the truth came out. Despite this, they managed to later be friends.

“Bobbie and Scotty have survived 42 years of intimacy, partnership, friendship, and, at times, adversarial agendas,” Zeman said. “Through it all, they’ve managed to remain friends. There’s a chemistry there. Kin and I had that in our early 20s when we came on the show, which was fabulous.”

How will Bobbie deal with her diabetes type 2 diagnosis? Stay tuned to GH to find out. General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for air times.