General Hospital Releases First-Look At The Return Of A Beloved Character After Their 18-Month Absence
General Hospital has released first-look images of former Dr. Britt Westbourne actress Kelly Thiebaud’s return to Port Charles. Thiebaud joined the cast of the long-running TV show in 2012, playing the character until she was killed off in 2023. She also had a recurring role on Days of Our Lives as Zoey Burge.
The actor has taken two previous breaks during her tenure in General Hospital, which is not uncommon in soap operas. However, considering Thiebaud scooped a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actressin a Drama Series, she was clearly a prominent cast member before her departure.
Now, per TV Insider, two images have been released showing Thiebaud’s return to the show. One shows her dressed in an orange top, carrying some bags, and looking pensively down at a cell phone.
The other appears to be a promotional image of Thiebaud in the same orange top, posing against a plain white background. Check out the images:
In the same interview, Thiebaud, who left General Hospital in 2023 following her character’s death, spoke about enjoying her initial spell on the show, but wanting to leave to have new experiences.
She recognized that she was lucky enough to have a boss that understood her personality, and desire to leave. Check out her comments below:
“I admire the people who’ve been on for 10-plus years and have stayed there, and they’ve really built something with their lives on and off the show. I think that’s really amazing to be able to do that. I know myself too well to know that’s not the type of person that I am.
I am very much a free spirit. I need to go and roam and do things and feel like I can go on adventures and have the freedom to embark on whatever comes my way. And thankfully, I have a boss who understands, so that’s very lucky.”
She also went on to admit that she didn’t believe she would ever return to the set once she had left.
“I did walk away from my last day on set thinking that I would never return. And that’s why I think coming back now has so many feelings attached to it.”
Now, two years later, she is set to return to Port Charles, and while it’s unclear the role she will play this time, Thiabaud revealed that she’s happy and grateful to be back in General Hospital.
“After much talk with my executive producer, Frank, and going over things with myself and where my life is currently, it felt like there was a lot of unfinished business there.
It just felt like this was a really good time, and that this door was being opened to me for a specific reason, and I felt extremely grateful for even the opportunity of them considering bringing me back on the show. So, a lot of different things that aligned perfectly with the opportunity to be back.”
What This Means For Thiebaud’s General Hospital Return
She Could Be Back For The Long Run
Thiebaud looks as though she has fit comfortably back into soap acting, and the images suggest her character could already be embroiled in some drama.
Returning to the set of General Hospital must have felt odd, but would also no doubt have been comfortable as well, re-acclimating to something that was once familiar, and this could be the norm again for her.
From Thiebaud’s comments, it seems pretty clear that she has a strong professional relationship with executive producer Frank Valentini, who obviously wanted her back on the show.
Thiebaud’s return marks another Port Charles casting shake-up, with former One Life to Liveveteran Erika Slezak joining General Hospital recently too.
Our Take On Thiebaud’s Return To General Hospital
The Show Will Benefit From Welcoming Back A Strong Talent
Thiebaud is clearly an actress valued highly by General Hospital, and she could be joined by another General Hospital icon hinting at a return. Judging from her comments, it appears that leaving the show was her choice, so it makes sense General Hospital would welcome her back in any kind of capacity.
While she may not have a decade-long role this time around, there is no question that General Hospital is going to be better as a show, for having Thiebaud as a part of it. It will be exciting to see the type of character she is playing, and who she might evolve into, as well as what her arc will bring to the show.
