What Happened to Elizabeth Webber on GENERAL HOSPITAL
Elizabeth Webber has been a popular character on GENERAL HOSPITAL for years, but some newer viewers might not be aware of just how much drama she’s been through in her life. Which is where we come in! Originally introduced on GH in August of 1997, Liz has been played by Rebecca Herbst the entire time aside from a brief medical leave in 2011 where Martha Madison (Belle, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) stepped in temporarily.
Shortly after arriving in Port Charles to live with her grandmother, Audrey Hardy, and sister, Sarah Webber, Liz developed a crush on Lucky Spencer. He only had eyes for Sarah, but after Liz was raped, Lucky was there to support her and the two fell deeply in love, exchanging private wedding vows. Liz was crushed when Lucky was presumed dead and leaned on Jason Morgan for support. When Lucky was revealed to be alive, he was brainwashed by Helena Cassadine, and it was visions of Liz that helped break her hold on him.
Liz and Lucky tried to start over, but it wasn’t going well and she dumped him when she caught him kissing Sarah. After being locked in a crypt with Zander Smith, they got close, and she also tried dating Jason but ended up falling for Ric Lansing. When Liz got pregnant, they married, but she miscarried and they split when Ric locked a pregnant Carly in a panic room to steal her baby to replace the one Liz had lost. Liz slept with Zander and got pregnant, but briefly reconciled with Ric and planned to raise the child with him. Unfortunately, they divorced again and Zander was killed in a shootout, leaving Liz to raise little Cameron on her own.
Elizabeth became a nurse, but when she and Lucky got back together and struggled financially, she tried to be a surrogate mother for Courtney Matthews and Jasper Jacks. Lucky wasn’t thrilled with the idea, and ultimately, Liz miscarried. After an injured Lucky grew addicted to painkillers, he had an affair with Maxie Jones, and a furious Liz slept with Jason, becoming pregnant again! Lucky assumed he was the dad, and got clean for the child’s sake. They remarried before Liz gave birth to Jake, but things fell apart and they divorced when Lucky found out Jason is Jake’s dad. Jason and Liz tried to make a relationship work, but he called it quits because his life was too dangerous for her.
Although she and Lucky reconciled, Liz found herself drawn to his half-brother, Nikolas Cassadine, and they had an affair. When Liz ended up pregnant again, Helena tampered with the paternity test to say Nik was the babydaddy. After her son, Aiden, was born, he was abducted by Franco and Lucky had to rescue him. Suspicious, Liz ran another DNA test and realized Lucky was Aiden’s real father but she kept the secret because she was overwhelmed with grief after Jake was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Eventually, Liz came clean with Lucky in the hopes of inspiring him to get his drinking under control. Nikolas was upset and tried to take Aiden away, but reconsidered and returned the tot. After Lucky left town, Liz went to a party with Dr. Matt Hunter and was thrown overboard by Lisa Niles. Dr. Ewen Keenan saved her and they began dating, but he was really working for Jerry Jacks and Jason shot him dead rescuing Liz from his clutches.
Jason resisted Liz’s attempts to get back together, and she even interfered with his efforts to locate Sam’s baby before finally backing off and helping the pair reunite with their son, Danny. Sadly, Jason was presumed dead shortly thereafter. After helping Sabrina Santiago resurrect the Nurses Ball, Liz briefly dated A.J. Quartermaine and Ric before finding herself drawn to an amnesiac patient at the hospital who’d had facial reconstruction surgery. She even invited “Jake Doe” to move in with her and her kids. A jealous Ric hired Hayden Barnes to claim to be Jake’s wife, but their scheme was ultimately exposed… along with the fact that Jake was really Jason Morgan, back from the dead!
Liz began a relationship with Jake and kept his true identity a secret, even when it was discovered that their son, Jake, was discovered alive on Cassadine Island! But on their wedding day, Jason learned the truth and was furious that she’d kept it from him. They broke up, but agreed to co-parent Jake, who was exhibiting strange behavior. During this time, Liz found an unlikely confidant in Franco, and over time they began dating. Liz was shocked to discover that she and Hayden were half-sisters, and the two women eventually found common ground.
Franco was desperate to protect Liz when her rapist, Tom Baker, was released from prison and when the guy was murdered, Franco was the prime suspect and she worked hard to clear his name. The real Jason Morgan returned to Port Charles, and it was revealed that the mysterious Jake Doe was actually his twin brother, Drew Cain. Liz was all ready to marry Franco, but he didn’t show up to their wedding because he was confronting Jim Harvey about molesting him as a child. She supported him as he dealt with his past and they have grown even closer as a result.
Franco moved in with Liz and the kids, and they began adjusting to life as a family unit, though Cam wasn’t happy with things. However, after the teen was kidnapped by Shiloh and Franco came to his rescue, that attitude changed dramatically. Unfortunately, Shiloh had Franco implanted with Drew’s memories and Liz struggled to get her love to remember his true self. Thankfully, as she feared she was going to lose him forever, Franco agreed to have the experimental procedure reversed and Liz was reunited with her husband once more. Although they’d originally tied the knot in an impromptu jail cell ceremony, Liz and Franco finally had a proper wedding reception so everyone could celebrate their love.
Things took another turn when Liz learned that Franco had been keeping her in the dark about the return of his brain tumor because he worried it would turn him back into the evil man he once was. Once the truth was out, the family rallied around Franco to support him as he underwent treatment. Unfortunately, the tumor remained unchanged, but Liz was truly heartbroken when Franco was shot and killed! Not realizing that it had occurred during a struggle with Peter August, Liz blamed Jason because she’d found him at the scene of the crime.
Liz tried to reign in Cameron who was overcome with thoughts of getting revenge on Jason, and was floored to hear that Peter was the one responsible. So when she found out Hamilton Finn had pushed Peter to his death, she helped him hide the body and cover up the crime! Eventually, she confessed to Jason to get his help in disposing of the corpse which is when everyone learned that Peter wasn’t really dead! The whole ordeal brought Finn and Liz closer together, and they eventually began dating.
However, things got off to a rocky start as Liz was haunted by reminders of Franco. Her wedding ring kept popping up, Franco’s art studio was torched, her wedding dress was shredded, and Franco’s portrait of her appeared on her mantle! Suspicious, Liz reached out to Betsy Frank to see if Franco’s mother was behind it. She wasn’t, and as more and more suspicious things kept happening, Liz wondered if Aiden was right and they were being haunted by Franco’s ghost!
But the truth was stranger than fiction as Finn figured out that Liz was the one tormenting herself and snapped her out of a sleepwalking trance! Liz was horrified that she had done all those terrible things and desperate to learn why. She checked herself into Shadybrook, but very quickly checked herself out again insisting she was fine. But she wasn’t, and began losing time again. After Kevin hypnotized her to recover repressed memories, Liz recalled seeing a woman at the bottom of a flight of stairs and realized she looked like Finn’s late wife, Reiko. Determined to get answers, Liz pretended to go with Terry to a medical conference but actually went to California to search her parents’ house.
While looking for clues, Liz was interrupted by her parents and she confronted Jeff Webber and Carolyn Webber about how their abandoning her as a child has caused her all these problems. Jeff admitted to having an affair with Reiko and Liz finally remembered the details surrounding their argument and how she fell down the stairs. He also explained how she died from a virus she caught while having a blood transfusion after the accident. Carolyn confessed she had “coached” Liz to forget about the incident and they sent her to live in Port Charles so she would hopefully never remember. Liz was furious with her parents for manipulating her in that way, and when she later confessed the truth about Reiko to Finn, he walked out on her.
After being attacked by Esme Prince during an escape attempt, Liz was shocked to learn that Nikolas was keeping the pregnant young woman prisoner in Wyndemere. When Finn grew suspicious, Liz covered and claimed that she was having Nik’s baby. She later covered her lack of pregnancy by lying that she had miscarried. Realizing that Esme couldn’t be The Hook, Liz was conflicted about keeping Nikolas’ secret and finally came clean to Finn about the whole thing. After Esme escaped and Nikolas went missing, Finn urged Liz to keep quiet, but her overwhelming guilt led her to confess her role in the kidnapping to the police. Thankfully, Scott managed to get her a deal and Liz even managed to keep her job at the hospital.
Elizabeth was sad when Cameron revealed he was going away to college, and absolutely heartbroken to learn that Epiphany had passed away. Monica later called to inform Liz that she would be granting Epiphany’s last wish and that Elizabeth would be the new head nurse.
Stay tuned to see what happens next!
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