The highs and lows of Traci Abbott's love life on Young and the Restless

Traci Abbott, played by Daytime Emmy-winner Beth Maitland, is currently headed for heartbreak if her suspicions about her fiancé Alan (Christopher Cousins) are correct. Sadly, The Young and the Restless fan-favorite character hasn’t had the best of luck in the romance department. Here’s a look back at the men Traci has loved – and lost – over the years.

Rock of Ages

Traci was enamored of Genoa City rock star, Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian). She put his needs ahead of her welfare, which is never a smart thing to do. But when we’re young, we tend to think with our hearts and not our heads — Traci’s far from alone in that. She ended up getting hooked on diet pills, hoping to win Danny’s affections. Traci’s decision to go down this road turned out to be a dangerous call, literally. She got in a car accident but later spoke to Danny’s concert-goers about the dangers of drugs.

An Affair to Remember

The good news is that Traci moved on from Danny. The bad news is that she hooked up with her college professor, Tim Sullivan (Scott Palmer). After she found him in bed with another woman, Traci became suicidal. She turned on the gas in an oven and nearly died. Fortunately, she was saved by Cricket (a.k.a. Christine, Lauralee Bell) and Danny. Pregnant by Tim, Traci wed Danny – assuring his girlfriend Patty Williams (Andrea Evans) that the union was only temporary and for the sake of the baby, but Patty saw that Traci had fallen back in love with Danny. Patty accidentally caused Traci to fall down some stairs, and she lost her baby. Despite Danny not reciprocating Traci’s feelings, the two singers remain pals until today.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Next, Traci fell head over heels with the man who arguably remains the move of her life: Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), the Abbott gardener. They married but faced challenges from Tim and Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman), Traci’s rival. Traci and Brad were divorced, but she was unaware that Brad had been kidnapped by his unbalanced ex-wife, Lisa Mansfield (Lynne Harbaugh). Brad, thanks to Jack Abbott (then, Terry Lester; now, Peter Bergman) and Lauren, was able to free himself, and he raced to the courthouse, hoping to stop the dissolution of his marriage to Traci. He collapsed upon arrival. Traci was stunned to see not only Brad back in town, but she didn’t yet know where he’d been. Their reunion was complicated by Brad’s attraction to Traci’s sister Ashley (then, Brenda Epperson; now, Eileen Davidson).

Chapter Two

Traci wasn’t having much luck in the romance department, but her career as an author took off. She wrote and published two successful novels: “Echoes of the Past” and “Epitaph for a Lover.” Meanwhile, Brad had a short-lived marriage to Cassandra Rawlins (Nina Arvesen), which ended tragically after she’d been killed by a car. Traci and Brad, now a wealthy man thanks to Cassadra’s millions, re-married. She gave birth to their daughter, Colleen. Things were happy – for a while. Later, Traci fell in love with her book editor, Steve Connolly (Greg Wrangler). She and Brad divorced, and Traci moved to New York with her new husband and Colleen.

Unhappy Endings

Traci moved home with Colleen after discovering that Steve had been cheating on her. She returned to New York to give her marriage another shot, leaving Colleen (Lyndsy Fonseca) in Genoa City to have her adventures just as Traci once did.

Traci returned to town in 2008 to attend the funeral of her dear pal Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper), not knowing (nor did anyone else) that it wasn’t Katherine who died but her doppelganger, Marge (also played by Cooper).

Shortly before Brad died while saving Noah Newman (Kevin Schmidt) from an icy lake, he fondly told Traci that she was the one who got away. Had Brad not died, perhaps he and Traci would have gotten together a third time.

Double Indemnity

Brad’s death ultimately left Traci vulnerable to Alan’s charms. Well, those charms possibly belong to Alan’s twin, Martin, who we believe has been using Traci. She’s grown suspicious, but Traci, as much as she’d like to be in love, will not let anyone harm her or her family. She’s the solid foundation of not only the Abbott clan but the heart and soul of Genoa City.

Here’s hoping that this current drama doesn’t push Traci to swear off love. She deserves someone special in her life!

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