Multiple Madness: Soaps’ Most Memorable Split Personalities

The odds of knowing someone with multiple personalities are pretty slim in real life, but in the soap world, not so much.

Days of Our Lives’ Abigail (Marci Miller) is currently suffering from dissociative identity disorder — a condition where two or more distinct identities alternately take control of a person. By day, she’s good girl, Abby. By night, she morphs into sultry Gabby.
Here’s a look back at some other daytime characters, who’ve endured the same fate.

Victoria Lord, One Life to Live
Prim and proper Victoria Lord (played by Gillian Spencer, and, later, by Erika Slezak) initially split into wild child Niki Smith.

The root of the problem was the sexual abuse she’d endured as a girl at the hands of her father, Victor. As a result, poor Viki struggled for decades trying to keep Niki and a slew of other alter egos – namely, Jean, Tori, and Tommy – under control.

Jessica Buchanan, One Life to Live
Like mother (Victoria Lord, above), like daughter. Jessica began having blackouts after her husband’s Tico’s death.

Soon, Tess, a fun-loving party girl emerged, and Jessica was diagnosed with DID.

Years later, the cool and controlled Bess surfaced, determined to bring order back to Jessica’s life. Other personalities included Teen Jess and a guy named Wes.

Kimberly Brady, Days of Our Lives
All was well in Kimberly Brady’s (Patsy Pease) world, until a hit and run accident triggered a buried memory from her past: the fact that her Uncle Eric had molested her as a child.

Suddenly, Kim was plagued by multiples Lacey and Clare, both of whom wreaked havoc around Salem. One committed murder (Lacey), while the other (Clare) shot Kimberly’s big brother Roman.

Kate Howard, General Hospital
Leaving Bensonhurst and her life as Connie Falconeri behind, Kate Howard (Megan Ward and, later, Kelly Sullivan) arrived in Port Charles as a successful magazine editor and began a romance with Sonny (Maurice Benard).

Unfortunately, her beau’s dangerous mob life caused Connie to emerge, determined to destroy Kate and Sonny’s relationship. In the process, she killed her psychiatrist and had a fling with Sonny’s nemesis Johnny (Brandon Barash).

In time, she successfully integrated her two personalities into one, but was ultimately murdered by Ava (Maura West).

Eden Capwell, Santa Barbara
To write off leading lady Marcy Walker (Eden), Santa Barbara scribes devised a complicated multiple personalities twist.

Eden channeled her dead brother Channing and shot her mother, Sophia (Judith McConnell) before emerging as witchy Lisa and an artist named Suzanne. The personality struggles continued until Eden fell off a cliff and was presumed dead.