The Young And The Restless Classic Romance: Danny And Cricket
In the soap opera epic "The Young and the Restless," which recently celebrated its half-century anniversary, one recurring romantic storyline is that of Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) and Christine "Cricket" Blair (Lauralee Bell). These two characters have had an on-off romance spanning decades, from being adolescents in the 1980s to the present, with Danny's return in 2022.
Michael Damian recently spoke with Soaps and hinted at the prospect of rekindling a romance with Christine Blair. Damian gave an insight into Danny's mindset, saying, "Absolutely, he still has feelings for Christine ... there's no denying that. The chemistry and magic is still there."
Lauralee Bell echoed similar sentiments when she spoke with Soap Central. Bell describes Christine's approach to Danny, saying, "But I think for Cricket, Danny was her world, so I don't think she is necessarily thinking about going back, but you can tell, or at least I wanted to play it like, even after all of these years, there's still a lot of hurt." We're looking back at the memorable moments between these two and wondering if the stars will ever align so that these two will finally fulfill fans' wishes and settle down together.
The early romance
A 16-year-old Danny Romalotti first appeared on "The Young and the Restless" in 1981, when he aspired to become a rock star performing sellout concerts in Genoa City. Christine Blair, a few years his junior, first appeared on the show in 1983 and started as a model for John Abbott's (Jerry Douglas) Jabot Cosmetics but would later have a career sea change and become a district attorney. Danny and Christine started as friends, but their relationship evolved, and eventually, they married in 1990.
Their early years were turbulent, as villain David Kimble (Michael Corbett) set up Danny for a drug possession charge. On another occasion, David tried to murder Christine and her friend Nina Webster (Tricia Cast). When Christine became a lawyer, she worked for a firm headed by Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc), who quickly developed an infatuation with Christine. Christine would later have to file assault charges, which resulted in Michael's termination. In retaliation, Michael kidnapped Christine, but she was later rescued, and Michael was sentenced to prison.
Danny and Christine's marriage would meet a dramatic end. While Danny was on tour in New York, he was drugged and seduced by Phyllis Summer (Michelle Stafford), who claimed they had slept together. Phyllis became pregnant, which influenced Danny to divorce Christine to be with his expected child, Daniel Romalotti.
The romance continues
A later paternity test concluded that Danny Romalotti wasn't the father of Phyllis' child and that she had deceived him. This resulted in a fierce custody battle for Daniel, from which Danny emerged victorious and became Daniel's legal guardian. The battles weren't over for Danny, as he desperately wanted to rekindle his relationship with Christine, who was now with Paul Williams (Doug Davidson). Christine eventually chose Paul, and the two married. Danny exited "The Young and the Restless" in 1998, leaving on a European tour with an infant Daniel.
After 1998, Michael Damian returned to the show intermittently, and viewers were treated to fleeting moments with Christine Blair. However, for one reason or another, they never settled down again. However, with Danny's return to the show in December 2022, perhaps a fairytale ending is in the cards. "The writers have something really wonderful planned," Damian teased in an interview with Soaps. "And I think the audience will not be disappointed."