After her Dr. Britt Westbourne character died as a result of being attacked with a poisonous hook, Daytime Emmy Award winner Kelly Thiebaud is set for a return to “General Hospital” next month, it was announced on Friday.
According to Deadline, which first reported the news, the actress is back at the soap starting in July, although the role she’ll be playing remains under wraps, leaving fans to wonder if Thiebaud will be playing a new character or if somehow Britt is being resurrected.
When last seen, Britt died after exhibiting symptoms of Huntington’s disease, known as a rare incurable neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system which causes nerve cells in the brain to decay over time.
“It is good to be home,” said Thiebaud in a statement released to Deadline.
“I am thrilled to have Kelly back on our show,” shared executive producer Frank Valentini. “We have some great twists and turns planned for her character.”
After exiting “General Hospital” in January 2023, Thiebaud reprised her role as Eva Vasquez on “Station 19” for a multi-episode arc during the show’s sixth season. The character was the widow of fallen firefighter Rigo Vasquez (Rigo Sanchez), who appeared during the show’s third season, and would go on to have an affair with her husband’s colleague, Jack Gibson (Grey Damon), which created lots of drama for the show’s characters.
Additionally, Thiebaud appeared in an episode of “Magnum P.I.” and more recently received praise for her portrayal of Dr. Layla Carreri on the podcast drama series “Montecito.”
In 2022, Thiebaud won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress for her portrayal of Britt Westbourne during the “The 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.” She would also receive a nomination in the same category in 2023 during “The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.”
The news of Thiebaud’s return comes just one day after the soap opera announced the exit of Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer. “We were so glad Jonathan was able to reprise the role of Lucky, even if was for a limited time,” Valentini said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best, and the door is always open for Jonathan to return.”
