A Decade of Xander: The Days of our Lives cast celebrates Paul Telfer

This week marks 10 years since Paul Telfer made his debut as Days of our Lives' Xander Cook (now Xander Kiriakis). He came onto the scene as Victor's black sheep nephew and, a decade later, has emerged as Victor's long-lost son and heir.

Days of our Lives stars love Paul Telfer

To mark the occasion, multiple Days of our Lives stars recorded special messages for Telfer that the show released in a tribute video on its official YouTube page, including leading lady Linsey Godfrey (Sarah).

"It is your 10-year anniversary," Godfrey said. "I am so glad I got to be here for seven of them. Good luck to you 'cause you're stuck with me for another seven. It has been such a pleasure working with you. It has been such a pleasure being your bestest friend. Please inform all other friends that I am the tippiest-toppiest."

Xander was also briefly married to Chanel after a one-night stand. Although Raven Bowens admits in her tribute that she wasn't playing Chanel at the time (Precious Way was the original Chanel), she still had kind words for Telfer.

"Congratulations, ex-husband...I didn't get the pleasure of playing your wife but it has been a pleasure to work with you," Bowens said. "The scenes that we've had together have been so much fun. You are such a great guy and I just feel so lucky to know you."

Suzanne Rogers' Maggie is one of the first characters to see potential in Xander. She became his ally when he'd go up against Victor and is now his mother-in-law on the show. Rogers was happy to wish Telfer all the best to mark his Salem anniversary.

"Well, darling, it's 10 years," she started. "I love working with you. You know that. Anyway, it's just kind of we clicked from the moment we first met. Happy anniversary. Ten years! Ten years, oh my God. Anyway, I love you," Rogers added.

You can see the full video below.

Xander's decade-long evolution

Xander has come a long way since coming onto the Salem scene as Victor's scoundrel nephew who shared a secret with Serena Mason (Melissa Archer). Both characters suspected there was a hidden treasure in an elephant statue they obtained in Africa. Xander soon became attracted to Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker), but when he realized she was only leading him on to learn his secret, he locked Nicole and Eric (Greg Vaughan) in a heating vent, nearly killing them.

Xander went to prison for that crime but escaped multiple times to menace Salem before his eventual legal release. In 2019, Xander's life changed when he met and fell for Sarah Horton. Their one-night stand led to so much more, causing Xander to want to be a better person for Sarah.

Ten years later, Xander is an upstanding Salem citizen, married to Sarah and raising their daughter, Victoria. In the meantime, Telfer has become a DAYS fan favorite. What would 10 more years of Xander Kiriakis bring? We can't wait to find out.

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.