The Young And The Restless Co-Stars Who Got Married In Real Life
Sometimes reel-life love becomes real-life love as actors meet on the set of a soap opera and fall in love. Other times, just being soap stars can give two performers something in common so that they become real-life pairs, even if they didn't meet at work (via Entertainment Weekly).
The first popular on-screen pair to take their love story home was Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of "Days of Our Lives." They met when their characters, Doug and Julie, met in the 1970s, and both actors and characters are still together in 2022 (via Soap Hub).
"The Young and the Restless" is responsible for several real-life marriages. Some have worked out and are still going strong, while others have called it quits. And, even if it didn't work out off-screen, there is even one "The Young and the Restless" pair that still kept it professional on-screen for a dramatic and compelling story that examined the horrors of domestic abuse.
Eileen Davidson and Vince Van Patten met on the soap
Eileen Davidson had been bringing Ashley Abbott to life off and on for nearly two decades (via IMDb) by the time Vince Van Patten landed the role of Christian Page for just 12 episodes in 2000 (via IMDb).
That was the same year that Davidson called it quits with another soap actor, Jon Lindstrom, who played Kevin Collins and Ryan Chamberlain on "General Hospital" back in the 1990s; he still plays those same twin characters as of this writing.
Lindstrom released a statement about the breakup. "This is an amicable situation," he said (via Soap Central). "We remain the best of friends and hope that people will respect our privacy during this time."
Van Patten was also married when they met, but their attraction to each other was strong, and they married a few months later in Vegas (via Soap Hub). In 2022, Davidson still appears as Ashley on a recurring basis, and her marriage to Van Patten remains strong, with the couple sending their son, Jesse, off to college in 2021, according to Soaps.com.
Lindstrom also married again and has been wed to veteran soap star Cady McClain since 2014 (via Soaps In Depth).
Amelia Heinle and Thad Luckinbill connected on The Young and the Restless
Amelia Heinle, who has played Victoria Newman on "The Young and the Restless" since 2005 (via IMDb), had already been married to a soap opera co-star. Heinle and "NCIS" star Michael Weatherly met on the set of the ABC soap "Loving," where he played Cooper Alden and she played Stephanie Brewster. Although they were only wed from 1995 to 1997, that didn't make Heinle gun shy about marrying another soap opera co-star.
Thad Luckinbill played JT Hellstrom on "The Young and the Restless" off and on from 1999 to 2019 (via IMDb), and that's where he met Heinle. As JT and Victoria fell in love, so did Heinle and Luckinbill. The two married in 2007 and had two children together, Thaddeus and Georgia, before they split in 2018, according to Too Fab.
Even after they split, Luckinbill made a return to "The Young and the Restless," and that's when JT and Victoria reunited — until JT became abusive. After a long storyline in which Victoria's mother, Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), thought she murdered JT, it was eventually revealed that a brain tumor caused his abusive behavior (via Soaps In Depth).
Doug Davidson met Cindy Fisher on the show
Although Doug Davidson has not appeared as Paul Williams on "The Young and the Restless" since 2020, he is still considered an integral part of the soap as Paul is Genoa City's police chief and is frequently mentioned (via Soaps In Depth).
That would also make him the longest-running cast member on the soap as he was on recurring status for several years before 2020 and started his "The Young and the Restless" tenure way back in 1976, when the show was only on the air for three years. Perhaps we will still see Paul again one day as his wife, Christine (Lauralee Bell), makes occasional appearances.
In real life, Davidson met actress Cindy Fisher on the set of "The Young and the Restless" when she played the role of Rebecca in 1980, according to Soap Opera News. They married in 1984 and have been going strong ever since, after raising two children, Calyssa and Caden.
Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley both worked on The Young and the Restless
While "Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause and "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley didn't meet on the set of "The Young and the Restless," they both worked there in 2016 when she made a handful of appearances as Bethany Bryant and he was mega-popular as Adam Newman.
However, the pair met when Stause was playing Jordan Ridgeway on "Days of Our Lives" and one of her co-stars who was friends with Hartley introduced them, according to People. They married in a lavish wedding that People featured on its cover in 2017, but the marriage didn't last long. By 2019, TMZ reported that Hartley had filed for divorce.
A year later, an insider told Life & Style that Stause was shocked by the split. "Chrishell felt completely blindsided," the insider said. "Did they grow apart? Yes, most couples do, but she never expected him to give up on their marriage so easily."