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Suzanne Rogers Talks Family Challenges, Days of Our Lives Storyline: "I Was Just a Mess"
Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton Kiriakis, Days of Our Lives) is currently knees-deep in a meaty storyline. The daytime veteran talked to Soap Opera Digest about how she copes, balancing heavy-hitting storylines with real-life problems.
Tackling such emotional scenes can prove taxing, Rogers said. Add to that real-life family issues, and you've got a recipe for stress! Rogers noted:
For months, I was just a basket case. My mom came out to California and was here [living with me] for 23 years. It was just last year that I had to put her in a board and care facility, because it was too much to take care of myself. It was hard going through that stage. It’s not easy.
Her mother was also diagnosed with dementia, further complicating the picture. Rogers added:
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Between that and the storyline that I was doing I was a mess. I lost a lot of weight. And then I found out that I have diverticulitis, which is another thing that comes from stress. It kind of all took its toll on me, and it all happened in the same year.
Thankfully, Rogers has turned a corner in her personal life and is feeling better. But looking back at her four decades of soap, what's been her favorite DAYS storyline? Something a bit more light-hearted, she recalled:
My ‘red shoes’ storyline was fabulous. That was my favorite, because it was uplifting. Maggie was a cripple and if she could walk, then … That was the hope. Mickey [Horton, John Clarke] dangled the red shoes saying, ‘If you get well, we’re going to go out dancing.’ The end result was a joyful storyline.
Here's hoping things look up for Aunt Maggie sometime soon in Salem!
