Y&R Star Beth Maitland’s Ultimate Heartbreak

On The Young and the Restless, Traci Abbott split from husband Steve a while ago. Now, alas, Traci’s portrayer, Beth Maitland, is headed for splitsville in real life.

According to the website The Blast, Maitland’s husband, Christopher Banninger, has filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

The two have been an off-screen soap couple as Banninger worked behind the scenes and. In 2012, he won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series for the online version of All My Children.

Maitland, of course, is Y&R’s first acting Emmy winner. She took home the gold for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1985.

Banninger and Maitland wed in October of 1989 and, according to court documents obtained by The Blast, they split on February 14.

According to The Blast, Banninger is requesting that no spousal support be given to himself or Maitland and says the estranged couple has a written agreement to split up their community property.

The couple has one adult daughter so the issue of child support isn’t on the table.

Maitland joined Y&R in 1982 as the youngest Abbott child (at the time), who arrived home after finishing boarding school.

As viewers have recently learned, Traci may actually be the only biological child of John (Jerry Douglas) and Dina (Marla Adams) as both Jack (Peter Bergman) and Ashley (Eileen Davidson) were sired by men other than John!

Maitland proved to be a fan favorite from the beginning when her character was established as a rival for Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman).

After her second union to Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) ended, Traci wed her editor Steve Connelly (Greg Wrangler) and moved to New York, returning often for Abbott family events.

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for airtimes.