Why Days of our Lives' Judi Evans was convinced she'd been fired

When Days of our Lives' poor Bonnie Kiriakis took a fall down an elevator shaft a few weeks ago, fans wondered if the character would survive. While she did, Bonnie gave the audience — and actress Judi Evans — quite a scare.

Bonnie's fall from grace

During Bonnie's latest life chapter, she became an unlikely soap opera star after landing a role in Abe (James Reynolds) and Kate's (Lauren Koslow) version of Body and Soul. Bonnie thought she was called to a wardrobe fitting, but when she stepped onto the elevator, there was no car, and she fell down the shaft.

Now, Bonnie remains bruised and battered in Salem University Hospital, barely able to speak. Justin (Wally Kurth) deduced that his wife's fall was on purpose before Abe figured out that Nurse Whitley (Kim Coles) was the person targeting the Body and Soul cast and crew.

When Evans saw the script in which Bonnie took her big fall, she went into a panic because she didn't know what would happen next.

Judi Evans' Days of our Lives fears put to rest

"I was concerned because it was right before a break [in DAYS’ production schedule]," Evans told Soap Opera Digest in an interview. "I was like, 'Oh. They’re killing me off.'"

Evans felt she had good reason to worry since this happened to her five years ago when her original Days of our Lives character met an untimely fate.

"I learned never to ask what’s happening, because the one time I did, they were killing my character off," she said. "So I was like, 'Oh, my God. I was panicked. I cried a little. I was so worried. I was freaking out, because you never know, and I was too terrified to ask. It took a while to get that next script to find out I didn’t die."

Evans is no stranger to soaps and knows how these things can go. She began her daytime career in 1983, playing Beth Raines on Guiding Light. She joined the cast of DAYS in 1986 as Adrienne Johnson and played her off and on until 2019. In between, she brought Paulina Cory to life on Another World and created a second DAYS character, Bonnie Lockhart Kiriakis.

In 2019, Adrienne was killed off in a car accident during the soap's famous time jump storyline, but Evans returned to the soap not long after as Bonnie.

Although Bonnie has been lingering in a hospital bed for weeks, Evans can report that Bonnie will be good as new in no time.

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"She heals very fast," Evans explained. "She’s kind of a magical character — or it’s something in the Salem water."

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

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