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Soap opera star Rena Sofer used to be a popular member of the General Hospital cast. She played Lois Cerullo from 1993 to 1996.

At the time, Sofer also had a relationship with co-star Wally Kurth, who played Lois’ love interest, Ned Quartermaine. The couple actually split in real life just after Sofer exited the show.

Rena Sofer as Quinn Fuller on 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
Rena Sofer as Quinn Fuller | Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images

Rena Sofer and Wally Kurth had a relationship during her stint on ‘General Hospital’

Lois and Ned first met in 1993 (the year Sofer joined the show). They quickly fell in love and got married in 1994.

Sofer and Kurth’s real-life relationship developed alongside their characters’ romance. In 1995, Sofer and Kurth tied the knot. While Lois gave birth to Brook Lynn Quartermaine, Sofer and Kurth welcomed daughter Rosabel together.

However, both of these relationships ended in 1997. That year, Lois decided to leave Port Charles, and Sofer also exited the show.

Rena Sofer opened up about splitting from Wally Kurth after leaving ‘General Hospital’

In October 2022, Sofer appeared on the YouTube series State of Mind, which is hosted by her former General Hospital co-star Maurice Benard. She opened up about family and relationships, including her marriage to Kurth.

According to Sofer, after she and Kurth were no longer acting together, the pair found that they were not actually compatible in real life.

“We fell in love on TV,” Sofer told Benard. “And when I left the show, we realized, ‘Oh, our characters were in love. We weren’t in love.’”

She added, “I really like Wally a lot. I mean, he’s an incredible guy. He’s just not the guy for me, and it really took me leaving for both of us to realize that we weren’t meant to be together.” Benard pointed out that this could be an example of “acting love” versus “real love.”

Sofer also shared that this is “why there are so many relationships that happen on sets.” She explained, “You are thrown into this microcosm of this weird family unit, and you don’t see past it. And then once you leave, you see past it, and you go, ‘Oh, that doesn’t work for me.’”

Rena Sofer is currently married to Sanford Bookstaver

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In 2003, Sofer married TV director and producer Sanford Bookstaver. Two years later, the couple welcomed a daughter, Avalon.

Sofer and Bookstaver divorced in 2017, but they made headlines when they got back together not long after. The pair remarried in 2019.

According to Sofer, the temporary split helped her to have a better relationship with Bookstaver. “I needed the death of the relationship to understand how to live in the relationship,” she told Benard.

Sofer continued, “I lost myself in the marriage, and it wasn’t his fault. It was me trying to be something I wasn’t, me losing sight of how to fix it.”

She explained that Bookstaver “never wanted a divorce,” and fortunately, he agreed to give their love another try after their time apart.

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