Another World Classic Character Recap: Lorna Devon

Her mother was the most successful romance novelist in soap opera history, but Lorna Devon – Another World bad girl gone good – was a perennial loser at love. But in the guise of actresses Alicia Coppola and later Robin Christopher, she had love – from the show’s fans.

Who Is Lorna Devon?

Lorna was initially introduced as a flunky for career criminal Carl Hutchins, who had taken her in when she was a homeless teenager living on the streets. On orders from her boss, sometimes lover, and blackmailer – Carl had some less than savory pictures of Lorna in compromising (and underdressed) positions – Lorna infiltrated Matt Cory’s new business venture.

But somewhere along the way, Lorna began to fall for her mark and after managing to extricate herself from under Carl’s thumb, she tried to pursue a real and honest relationship with Matt.

However, Lorna faced stiff competition from Jenna Norris whom Matt was dating. When she got her hands on a videotape that showed Jenna engaging in some X-rated shenanigans (thanks to a drug administered by her criminal “playmate”), Lorna publicly aired it hoping to malign Jenna’s character.

Another World Parentage
That stunt earned Lorna the ire of Jenna’s adoptive parents Lucas and Felicia. But the startling discovery of replica jewelry owned by all three parties proved that Lorna was actually the biological daughter that had been stolen from Felicia decades earlier.

The couple found it hard to accept Lorna into the family fold considering her litany of sins; in fact, father and daughter only reconciled when Lucas was on his deathbed. In time, Felicia and Lorna developed a close bond and Lorna frequently called Felicia mom.

Fear and Loathing In Bay City
In the summer of 1993 on Another World, Lorna found herself the victim of a persistent – and frightening – stalker. All the evidence seemed to point to Carl, who was arrested and placed on trial. During the court proceedings, it emerged that Carl was actually innocent and had been framed by Kevin Anderson – a former flame of Lorna’s.

Violation
Later that same year, Lorna began to make inroads in her burgeoning romance with Victor Rodriguez but she was still finding it hard to truly commit, fearing that she could never really be fulfilled with such a staid and “safe” alternative like Victor.

Wanting to reestablish some independence and show her flame that she was her own woman, Lorna made the acquaintance of Morgan Winthrop and his buddy Kyle Barkley at a bar and suggested continuing their party back at her place.

In her alcohol-fueled state, Lorna was brutally raped by one of the men and even though she was unsure of her attacker’s identity, she pointed an accusatory finger at Morgan, who was arrested brought to trial.

Reenactment
Still unsure of the night’s events, Lorna agreed to Victor’s suggestion that they reenact what little she could remember. The exercise turned violent when Victor took on the role of the rapist and physically restrained Lorna while laying on top of her.

The restaging did little to jog Lorna’s memory, but the case against Morgan fell apart when Kyle admitted to being the perpetrator. Later, when Victor and Lorna tried to continue their romance, they found that the still-lingering trauma was too big a hurdle for either one of them to clear and they decided to end the relationship.

Love Triangle

Ironically, Lorna and Morgan fell in love with each other – thanks to a little meddling from matchmaker-in-training Felicia – but Lorna was also intrigued by evildoer Grant Harrison, whom she worked for as public relations director.

Deciding that she preferred the coarse but exciting Grant to stuffy, rule-abiding Morgan, Lorna became the married politico’s mistress. However, her new position made Lorna a figure of ridicule in Bay City and she even found herself a near victim of Grant’s homicide-inclined mother, Justine.

Another World New Beginnings
Having finally gotten Grant out of her system, Lorna turned her attention to police detective Gabe McNamara. They were happy for a time but Lorna would have to do battle with a fierce new foe – Gabe’s former sister-in-law Cindy Brooke – for her man’s affection.

The rivalry between the women nearly cost Lorna a lung (which collapsed following a violent altercation) and, later, her life when Cindy left her to die in a burning building. Hoping to shield Lorna from further harm, Gabe insisted that they leave town together. But before he could follow through on his plan, Gabe was shot and killed in the line of duty, leaving Lorna devastated.