‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers) Gives Candid Interview and Opens Up About Her Health Scare and the Moment that Changed Her Life

‘The Young and the Restless’ spoilers share that Michelle Stafford, who plays Phyllis Summers on Y&R, was recently a guest on Days of Our Lives’ Greg Rikaart, who plays Leo Stark, and The Bold and the Beautiful’s Rebecca Budig, who plays Taylor Hayes, on their podcast, Soapy.

‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Michelle Was Afraid Prior to Her Cancer Scare

The three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress opened up about the health scare she experienced when she was 19.

Stafford talked about how she had a brain tumor when she was 19, when she was about to embark on a modeling career.

The actress admitted,

“The thing that upset me the most was getting my hair shaved off! I’m 19, and I wanted to model, but this was not going to work out for me well.”

Stafford wasn’t worried, as she said that at the time, she was like,

“Oh, we’ll just take it out. We’ll just cut it out. They’ll just open my brain.”

She claimed that they basically had to take her face off, and “put it back on.” The most terrifying aspect of it was that at first the doctors thought it was cancerous, but days later, she was told it was benign.

Michelle said that prior to her cancer scare, she was afraid of trying new things, but the experience made her want to be bold and “jump out of airplanes.”

When faced with the possibility of death or life suddenly changing in that sense, it can often make someone fearless and more curious about the world.

‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Nina Reeves On GH Was a Refreshing Change of Pace for Stafford

Stafford also discussed why she left Y&R for General Hospital. She said she was “burnt out” on her character, Phyllis, which, for anyone who watches Y&R, is no surprise, since Phyllis can be a bit much.

Plus, Stafford describes the character Phyllis as

“fighting for her life in every scene. She’s hanging from a cliff,”

which sounds a bit exhausting.

Stafford wanted to try something different. She felt there was a “lightness” about Nina Reeves (GH) that drew her to the character. Cynthia Watros now plays Reeves.

For those who may not know, Michelle is way more down to earth than Phyllis, and she’s funny, open, and curses like a sailor.

Stafford is also BFFs with Finola Hughes, who plays Anna Devane. During her time away from Genoa City, the actress became involved with some fun stuff.

Michelle had a web series called “The Stafford Project,” a scripted comedy-drama loosely based on her real-life experiences.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek kind of series. Think: Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is also loosely based on the life of writer/creator of Seinfeld, Larry David. Finola Hughes was a guest star on Michelle’s web series.

‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Michelle’s Sister Had Cancer

Stafford also shared about her sister having cancer, and Stafford went on a raw food diet “in solidarity” with her sister and to be a good source of support.

Michelle also talked about her company, Skin Nation, a plant-based skincare line inspired by her sister, who was suffering from the illness at the time.

Stafford wanted to create something free of harmful ingredients, suitable for all skincare types. Her goal was to promote overall wellness and provide a safe alternative to typcial skincare.

The soap icon  spoke briefly about working with Aaron Spelling on the primetime soap, Pacific Palasides. She played Joanna Hadley on the show.

Michelle also dished on parenthood and her wonderful partner, and loving husband Michael Benson.

Soapy is a fun podcast in which various soap actors and those involved in the soap opera community are interviewed, and it also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the genre.

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