Genie Francis Taking a Leave of Absence from 'General Hospital' to Spend Time With Family

If you haven’t been seeing enough of Laura Collins on “General Hospital” as of late that’s because portrayer Genie Francis decided to take the summer off from the soap in order to spend some time with her family. But don’t worry, she’ll be back in the fall.

“I’ve had such a fun time on ‘GH,’ and I’ve absolutely loved what the writers gave me to work with this season,” Francis recently told TV Insider. “And, there are some really great storylines planned for the fall – but for now, I’ve decided to take the summer off. I am very much looking forward to spending the time with my family and relaxing a bit. I promise, though, I will be back to Port Charles before you know it.”

Jon Lindstrom, Kevin Collins, Genie Francis, Laura Webber, Laura Collins, Laura Spencer, General Hospital — Craig Sjodin/ABC | **Jon Lindstrom**, **Genie Francis** (“General Hospital”)

Anthony Geary, Luke Spencer, Genie Francis, Laura Webber — ABC | **Anthony Geary**, **Genie Francis** (“General Hospital”)

Francis joined the cast of “GH” in 1977 as Laura Webber and quickly became a fan favorite. Her character’s wedding to Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) in November 1981 attracted 30 million viewers and remains the most-watched single telecast of any daytime drama in television history. Laura is currently married to psychiatrist Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) — the two wed in 2017.

Outside of “GH,” Francis also had starring roles on other daytime soaps including “All My Children,” “Days of our Lives” “Loving,” and “The Young and the Restless.”