Guiding Light's Jessica Leccia is now the proud parent of a little girl. For weeks, the actress has been hiding behind anything in site to shield viewers from the fact that she was pregnant -- and her on-screen alter ego was not. The actress will be taking a maternity leave, but it's unclear how long she'll be away from the CBS soap.
Jessica Leccia (Natalia Rivera) and her husband, Brian Malloy, are now the proud parents of a baby girl. The child, named Ivy Lola Malloy, was born on Wednesday, June 10 at 9:10 AM. Little Ivy weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz. This is the couple's first child.
Love General Hospital, B&B, DAYS or other soaps? Join the conversation on our SC boards! Click here to connect with fans and dive into discussions now
Noticing Leccia's constant standing behind furniture or oversized bags, fans have been contacting Soap Central for weeks, asking if the actress was pregnant in real life -- and wondering why Guiding Light didn't write Leccia's pregnancy into show. A show spokesperson explained that making Natalia pregnant didn't fit into the story that the show was trying to tell.
Earlier this year, Leccia confirmed to Soap Central that she would be taking a brief maternity leave from Guiding Light, though the actress declined to speculate on how long she'd be away from the show.
With Crystal Chappell (Olivia Spencer), Leccia has earned legions of fans as one-half of the Guiding Light couple affectionately dubbed "Otalia." During the show's on-location shoot in Orlando, Florida, in March, Chappell, Leccia, and Frank Dicopoulos (Frank Cooper) talked about their ground-breaking love triangle. The actors shirked claims that the show was telling a "lesbian story," instead labeling the plot a "love story."
Leccia joined the cast of Guiding Light in April 2007.
Enjoyed this article? Join the conversation in our General Hospital forum! Click here to connect with fans and dive into discussions now.