By Michelle Ann Moro
Soaps In Depth
April 24, 2001
From the time she was a young girl hiding from her abusive stepfather, GUIDING LIGHT's Beth Raines dreamed of a better life for her children than she had herself-starting with a loving relationship between two stable parents. "It's a big deal to Beth that she doesn't know who her father is," suggests her portrayer, Beth Chamberlin. "I think that, and her stepfather having abused her, is the root to her problems with men as an adult."
Indeed, Beth's road to love and happiness has been a rocky one. Remember?
1983:
Raped as a teenager by her stepfather Bradley, and too scared to tell mother Lillian the truth, Beth found a safe haven in the comforting arms of wealthy Phillip Spaulding. At first they denied their romantic feelings, but after being named king and queen of the prom they at last admitted their love. "In a strange way, Phillip was the surrogate fantasy, protective father that Beth always imagined as a little girl," observes Chamberlin. "I think that's why she's been attached to him for all these years."
1984-1985:
Crushed by Phillip's marriage of honor to a pregnant Mindy Lewis, Beth became more than a tutor to his cousin, Lujack. Losing her eyesight after Phillip jealously sabotaged Lujack's nightclub wasn't the only problem Beth and the former gangleader faced: Their relationshiop came to an unfortunate, early end when Lujack was injured in an explosion and died in his sweetheart's arms.
1986:
Touched when Phillip chronicled their love story in a novel, Beth agreed to marry him. Before they could wed, though, Beth, a talented artist, began working at a museum and was kidnapped by her art-smuggling boss. Never having considered Beth good enough for his son, Alan seized the opportunity and fabricated evidence that she had died.
1989-1991:
Suffering from amnesia, Beth resurfaced in Springfield with sleazy Neil Everest. After regaining her memory and reuniting with Phillip, Beth found herself pregnant and unsure which man was the father. The child was Phillip's, but they were separated when he faked his death upon being framed for Neil's murder. To divert the police, Beth wed their pal, Rick Bauer. Soon after Lizzie was born, Beth and Phillip at last exchanged vows and relocated to Arizona.
1997-1998:
Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last. Learning that Phillip was dating Harley Cooper, Beth returned to Springfield, fully prepared to reclaim her man. "She wanted Phillip back so badly," says Chamberlin. "She felt she couldn't be sane without him and couldn't accept that he was with Harley." After a fling with Ben Warren and the return of her abusive ex-boyfriend, Carl Stevens (whom Lizzie later murdered in her mom's defense), Beth resorted to playing dirty against Harley to win Phillip back…and lost.
1999-2000:
Following a brief flirtation with Matt Reardon, Beth began dating Jim Lemay. While she and Phillip were trapped in an avalanche and afraid they were going to die, they made love and conceived a child. "Beth felt they really reconnected on that plane, but Phillip didn't," muses Chamberlin. "Even after she told him she was pregnant with his baby, he still didn't want her. That was a slap in the face." Although Beth tried to pass off little James as Jim's, when Lizzie needed a bone marrow transplant, Phillip spilled the beans, ruining both his marriage to Harley and Beth's to Jim. Beth's second chance with Jim died when her husband heroically perished in a tragic fire last Christmas. "Beth got together with Jim out of neediness," Chamberlin admits, "but she did grow to love him."
2001:
On the island of San Cristobel, the Widow Lemay has quickly sprung back to life thanks to Prince Edmund Winslow, a man who Phillip hates with every fiber of his being. "Beth likes herself around Edmund because he sees her as a strong, wonderful woman," declares Chamberlin. "By contrast, Phillip expects that Beth needs to be taken care of, so she becomes a person who needs saving when she's with him. Regardless of the fact that Edmund does a lot of bad things, he's good to Beth and gives her a confidence she's never had." Could Beth Raines Bauer Spaulding Lemay have finally found her Prince Charming? #
