General Hospital star Kelly Thiebaud, who plays the iconic character Dr. Britt Westbourne, has opened up about her time on the show. The actress has shared the real reason she walked away and how it feels to return to the soap.
Kelly Thiebaud felt like an ‘absolute failure’ after leaving General Hospital
Kelly Thiebaud spoke honestly about her decision to leave General Hospital in 2022. During an appearance on State Of Mind with Maurice Benard podcast, she said she walked away three years ago because she felt “restless personally and professionally.”
She moved to the United Kingdom after ending a serious relationship. At the time, she wanted to have children. She said, “I wanted to have kids at one point. And that was kind of the driving force for everything that happened in my last relationship, and how it moved so fast and why I gave up so much and moved to London.”
But things did not go as planned. She returned three years later single. Looking back, she admitted, “Now I’m literally back in the same situation, three years older, not with a kid, not with a partner, and it’s a mindf—, and it’s crazy. I’ve had to deal with that and kind of let that go.”
She said starting over at 40 felt overwhelming. “Blowing my life up and losing everything and having to start all over — I didn’t think that I would. It makes you feel like an absolute failure, you know? And so it was really hard to climb out of that.”
Thiebaud said therapy helped her heal. Coming back to General Hospital also helped her move forward. Executive producer Frank Valentini welcomed her back, and Steve Burton, who plays Jason on the show, encouraged her return.
“Steve and I talked about it. He asked me to come back, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is a big deal,’ because he was back on the show. We had a second chance to redo this.” This time, she feels more connected to the cast and enjoys her work in a new way. Thiebaud now focuses on building a different life and becoming a stronger version of herself.
