Days Of Our Lives Stars Who Dated In Real Life
"Days of Our Lives" is known for perfecting what many soap opera fans call the super-couple.
In the 1980s, the last remaining NBC daytime drama gave us Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope (Kristian Alfonso), Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans), Shane (Charles Shaughnessy) and Kimberly (Patsy Pease), and John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena (Deidre Hall), via Nine.com.
All four pairings remain as popular today as they were decades ago, despite the fact that two of the couples are no longer in the fictional town of Salem. Fantasy, adventure, danger, and good old-fashioned romance defined these relationships and helped give the soap its longevity.
As we all know, love on-screen can often turn into love off-screen. After all, when you work in such close proximity to someone day in and day out, sharing intimate moments and dialogue, it can sometimes result in an after-hours relationship.
Let's take a look at "Days of Our Lives" stars who dated in real life, including which couples have gone the distance and which have fizzled out.
Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes fell in love in Salem and are still in love today
Perhaps Doug and Julie, played by Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes, were the first super-couple that "Days of Our Lives" ever produced before the soap started churning them out in the 1980s.
In the 1970s, hard-luck heroine Julie met ex-con Doug at the same time that actress Susan Seaforth met actor and singer Bill Hayes. Doug and Julie fell helplessly in love on screen while Bill and Susan fell in love off-screen, marrying in 1974. They also became the first soap opera pairing to ever grace the cover of Time in 1976, according to Soap Hub.
In 2021, "DOOL" writers gave the couple a gift and brought them back into the storyline forefront by placing Doug and Julie right in the middle of the popular Marlena demonic possession storyline.
It was Doug, still played by 96-year-old Bill Hayes, who was possessed first and was used as a conduit to take over Marlena's soul (via Soap Hub). The Hayeses have loved every minute of it and tweet about the story whenever they can.
Arianne Zucker and Kyle Lowder married and divorced
On-screen, Nicole Walker and Brady Black can never seem to make romance work and usually agree they are better off as friends, no matter who is playing the character of Brady.
When Kyle Lowder did his first go-around on "Days of Our Lives" as Brady (he now plays Rex Brady, an entirely different character, as of this writing), he and Arianne Zucker met and fell in love. In 2002, the pair got married but, in true soap fashion, had a bit of a hiccup and split in 2007, without divorcing.
And, like on-screen soap pairs often do, they reconciled the next year, and Walker gave birth to their little girl, Isabella, the year after that, according to Fame 10.
Sadly, in 2014, Zucker and Lowder called it quits once again and made it legal with a divorce, although they remain friends and co-parent their daughter. And sometimes they even work together when Rex and Nicole are in the same scene.
Arianne Zucker and Shawn Christian got engaged — on-screen and off
Nicole Walker was devastated when Daniel Jonas was killed in a tragic New Year's Eve drunk driving accident as 2015 turned into 2016 on "Days of Our Lives."
Brady Black (now played by Eric Martsolf) even got Daniel's heart when his own was damaged in the same accident. Nicole mourned Daniel but then learned that Chloe Lane (Nadia Bjorlin) gave birth to the embryo they had created, so Nicole had Daniel's daughter, Holly, with her always (via Soaps In Depth).
And Arianne Zucker has actor Shawn Christian, who played Daniel. The pair started dating soon after her divorce from Kyle Lowder and have been together ever since.
In fact, Christian popped the question to his longtime real-life love in 2021, sharing the magical moment on Instagram with photos of the romantic proposal on a boat surrounded by water and sunlight.
Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino meet on set and enjoy a long marriage
When Carly Manning first arrived in Salem, she wanted to get as far away from Lawrence Alamain as possible. We later learned they had a torrid affair that produced a son, Nicholas, but Carly still wanted nothing to do with him.
Eventually, they did marry and leave town to raise their son together, but Lawrence died in 2009, and Carly thought Bo Brady looked good again — until she finally let Salem for the last time (via Soap Central).
However, things worked out much better for the performers who portrayed Carly and Lawrence, Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino. They fell in love and married in 1997 and have raised two sons together, according to Fame 10.
And, in fall 2021, they even became first-time grandparents, sharing pictures of their grandson, Zeke, on Instagram. Earlier in the year, the couple celebrated another milestone when their younger son graduated from high school.