Soap operas are some of the longest-running stories the modern world has ever seen.
Day after day, fans tune in to see the characters they love - and hate - journey through some
of the wildest situations imaginable.
But in the case of some of daytime TV's finest stars, their private lives are just as dramatic
as their shows.
From battles with cancer and mental health, to devastating losses, we're looking behind
the glitz and glamour, to uncover the truth about these soap opera stars.
Kimberly McCullough
Best known for her recurring role on General Hospital, Kimberly McCullough also directed
an episode of Pretty Little Liars in 2015.
It was then that she found out that she was expecting a baby girl.
She blogged,
"That was probably the best day of my life thus far.
The one I will remember as 'having it all.'"
But tragically, McCullough suffered a miscarriage at 22 weeks.
She wrote on her site,
"My heart was so full and then it broke.
I had lost my baby girl.
[…] I wasn't in control.
These things happen and, no, I don't believe they happen 'for a reason.'"
McCullough also noted other trials she endured that year, including the loss of her beloved
dog and a health scare involving a cyst on her brain.
But through it all, McCullough said she was clinging to the positive, writing,
"I'm still processing, still healing.
[…] One thing I am proud of however was that I allowed myself to be happy and to relish
the moment.
I sat in all that goodness and I can recall those feelings (when I'm having different
ones) and hope that it can be like that again."
McCullough later welcomed her son in 2017.
Michael Muhney
The Young and the Restless star Michael Muhney's troubles started in late 2013 when TMZ reported
that the actor who played Adam Newman was axed from the show amid accusations of harassment.
The married father-of-three allegedly groped co-star Hunter King, as well as bullied others
on the set, according to sources who spoke with the tab.
In 2014, Muhney sat down with Australia's TV Week Soap Extra, to address the scandal.
He denied the allegations, and said he left on his own terms, claiming,
"I remember sitting down in the final ten months of my tenure with the executive producer
and saying, 'Things have to change.
You guys are going to have to fire me or I'm going to have to quit.'"
In February 2017, Muhney claimed on The Peloton Brief Podcast, that a private investigator
found the quote "groping rumor" was started by an alleged blogger in Florida.
King has never publicly addressed the allegations, and Muhney is still on the defense, years
later.
Kassie DePaiva
From One Life to Live and General Hospital, to Guiding Light and Days of Our Lives, Kassie
DePaiva is a familiar face on daytime soaps.
But when her Days character, Eve Donovan, disappeared in February 2016, fans wanted
to know what was going on.
It wasn't until the end of August of that year that DePaiva revealed she'd been diagnosed
with leukemia during the show's summer hiatus.
She said she spent six weeks in the hospital, but her prognosis was good.
She wrote on her site,
"I consider this just a bump in the road.
I have amazing prayer warriors, family, and friends that have been extremely supportive
and life affirming throughout this."
In February 2017, the actress announced that she'd beaten the disease, and in November
of that year, she updated her website with news that she was "still in remission."
Ingo Rademacher
Long time General Hospital star, Ingo Rademacher, returned to the soap after a five year hiatus
in July 2016.
But the joy of reuniting with his co-stars was short-lived.
In December 2016, Rademacher announced that his wife, Ehiku, had undergone emergency surgery
while pregnant, losing what would have been their third child due to an ectopic pregnancy.
The actor posted: "Ehiku is ok.
We were very excited for the [possibility] of baby number 3."
He shared details of his wife's surgery and thanked the medical personnel who took care
of her.
Rademacher continued,
"We are lucky, blessed and very fortunate to get through this."
Kirsten Storms
Kirsten Storms has spent more than a decade in her role as Maxie on General Hospital,
but her time in Port Charles has been punctuated with lengthy absences for a variety of personal
reasons.
In 2011, Storms went on a 10-month hiatus due to, quote, "medical complications," according
to Entertainment Weekly.
Then, she took another medical leave in early 2016, which she claimed, via Twitter, was
because of stress-related "breakouts" that were "becoming too difficult for [the show]
to cover up."
But it gets worse.
Storms revealed to Soap Opera Digest in 2017 that she took additional leave from the show
earlier that year to get treatment for severe depression.
She said,
"I wasn't taking care of myself.
I wasn't eating, I was ignoring me and focusing on things in my head that were negative constantly,
and it consumed me."
She also worried about the effect her condition would have on her then-3-year-old daughter,
telling the mag,
"I would never want her to look at me when I was 85 pounds and think that's the norm,
because I don't want her growing up with any sort of image issues or anything like that."
Fortunately, Storms seems to be back in the swing of things.
In June 2018, she posted a selfie with her new boyfriend tagging it: "i love my job,
i love my man, thankful."