Veteran fans of The Young and the Restless recall that Lauralee Bell’s character Christine was once related to the Abbott clan after family patriarch John Abbott wed her mother Jessica. In real-life, Bell and John’s portrayer, Jerry Douglas, are real-life pals.
Lauralee Bell: A Sweet 16 To Remember
Bell recently took to Instagram and shared a series of photos from a special event in her life when she and her family lived in the Midwest. “#tbt to when we were still living in Chicago and @jerrydouglas46 happened to be in town when my bestie @myraruttenberg and I had our co-sweet 16th bday!” Bell recalled. “We were SO excited when he came to cut loose with us on the dance floor.
“I think my dad [William Bell] was happy to have a buddy too since my mom [Lee Phillip Bell] was busy with the party,” Bell shares.
The Abbotts became prominent on YR in 1980 after the show went to an hour. Douglas assumed the role of the Abbott patriarch in 1982 from Brett Halsey and played the part until the character’s untimely death in 2006. While John went to that great soap in the sky, Douglas wasn’t finished with the CBS serial. He continued to make appearances as some form of spirit or the conscience of his children, most often Jack (Peter Bergman).
Douglas also played the part of John’s doppelganger, Alistair Wallingford, for a few months in 2008.
In 1988, John and Jessica (Rebecca Street) met, fell in love, and were married. Jessica was diagnosed with AIDS and John made the selfless decision to divorce Jessica so that she could marry Cricket’s dad, Steven (John O’Hurley) in order for Chris (then Cricket) to experience what it was like to have her parents be husband and wife. While technically, Cricket was briefly John’s step-daughter, she’s seldom, if ever, referred to that way.
Check out the photos of Bell’s 16th birthday with Douglas in the post below. The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for airtimes.
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