‘Days Of Our Lives’ Star Kristian Alfonso Promises Bo and Hope Fans ‘This Return Will Deliver!’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Soap opera beauty shares ‘heartbreak’ over Drake Hogestyn’s passing and joys of life after Salem
With Peter Reckell’s Bo Brady coming out of his coma next week on Days of Our Lives, Kristian Alfonso talks to Woman’s World about playing Hope Williams Brady and celebrating the super couple’s 40th anniversary. The soap opera beauty promises this visit from Bo and and Hope will bring “Bope” fans all they’ve been waiting for. Alfonso also gets candid about what it was like to shoot John Black’s heroic end while Drake Hogestyn was still fighting for his life.
Plus, the soap opera icon who appeared in Hallmark’s Chronicle Mysteries: Helped to Death alongside Days of Our Lives alum Alison Sweeney and in Lifetime’s V.C. Andrews’ Landry Family opens up about her life outside of Salem.
‘Days’ Kristian Alfonso marvels over the power of ‘Bope’ and Peter Reckell’s 70th
Bo Brady and Hope William haven’t been a regular part of Days of Our Lives in years, and yet this ‘80s supercouple remains as synonymous with the soap as Marlena and John Black. In the wake of Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell bringing Bope home to celebrate their 40th anniversary on May 23, the couple’s newest adventure will kick into gear on Monday.
“The writers have written an incredible story,” Alfonso teases. “We’re back again for a short amount of time, and we attribute that to the fans—who are going to get to see a lot of things they were hoping for the last time we were there!”
After over four decades, however, the actress who assumed the role of Hope at only 19 admits she’s not sure what’s kept Days of our Lives fans so devoted to the love story between the spirited rich girl and the motorcycle-riding rebel.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m just so grateful for it,” she grins. “I called Pete on his 70th birthday (on May 7). I said, “Petey boy, it’s your big day!’ I couldn’t let it go by. We started talking about the show and the characters… and wow, I mean, it never quite hit me, their popularity. I’m always so amazed by it. We were blessed and lucky in every sense of the word, because we were given so many gifts—people who believed in us and fought for us, and such an incredibly creative team of people, right down to wardrobe, hair and makeup, the producers, and the writers.”
‘Days’ Kristian Alfonso talks ‘feisty’ Hope and taking action
While Alfonso’s not sure what’s helped this super couple stand the test of time, she knows exactly what’s so great about Hope—and we saw a bit of it when the heroine showed up on the mission to save Bo on their anniversary.
“Hope may not agree with you and she may not always be right, but she’s a fighter,” Alfonso says. “She’s feisty, and what I’ve always loved about her is that she’s an action character, as well. She’s physical, and the show has always kept that alive. So she was not going to sit idle! She wanted to be a part of what was happening to save her husband’s life.”
Having played the character on and off since 1983, Alfonso adds that she’d “absolutely” be friends with Hope.
“She’s a good person and her family is her heart—and that is what we have in common,” she says. “It’s the most important thing of all things in our lives.”
‘Days of Our Lives’ vet Kristian Alfonso reflects on her ‘job’ as a soap star
Having appeared on the soap and its spinoff Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem a few times over the last five years, this former figure skater and model is grateful that she got to grow up and raise three kids right alongside Hope Brady.
“I was fortunate,” says Alfonso. “I didn’t have to commute to another state or country. Not that I’m opposed to doing so, but I had that luxury of being 20 minutes from home and from my boys. I felt like I could be there for every event and if there was an emergency, I would tell the studio, ‘I’ve got to leave,’ and they were always so amazing.
“I learned from my parents to be present, work hard, and not ever take for granted that I had this incredible job,” she adds. “It was a job, but it was a job that I enjoyed doing. Some days were much more difficult and longer than others, but it’s all par for the course. It’s a rollercoaster, like the storylines and like life, as well.”
‘Days’ vet Kristian Alfonso reflects on life outside of Salem
With her youngest son now in law school, Alfonso is still keeping busy—or busy enough, we should say!
“Since I have left the show, I have not had one moment of, ‘Oh, gosh. What am I gonna do today? I’m so bored,’” says the actress, who stepped back in 2020 but as mentioned, has popped in for appearances. “Right now, I’m doing renovations. I’ve purchased properties, sold properties, traveled back and forth to Boston, where we have a place. When I was working full time, I always had to ask permission. ‘Can I go see my child, who’s in Boston?’ So it’s been such a gift just to be able to say, ‘Yeah, let’s go tonight.’
“I’m just living each day as it comes,” continues the 61-year-old. “I have a full heart. I don’t have to be going full steam ahead to feel that I’ve accomplished anything on that day. I always tell my boys to just remember to exhale. It’s okay, take a moment for yourself—and whatever’s going to make them happy makes me happy, because you’re only as happy as your least happy child!”
It also doesn’t hurt the happy meter that Alfonso’s got her true love, Danny Daggenhurst, by her side as they eye almost a quarter of a century of marriage.
“What is our secret?” she considers. “It’s no secret. It’s just listening to the other person, and we really enjoy each other. We can be doing nothing, but it’s everything. We could just be in a room, both reading, watching TV, or whatever, and it’s just such a comfort level that is special. He is an amazing man. So loving. So supportive. He is delicious!”
‘Days’ vet Kristian Alfonso on saying goodbye to Drake Hogestyn and John Black
With many of her friends still getting into the Days of Our Lives drama and folks like onscreen daughter Victoria Konefal, Melissa Reeves, and Christie Clark back in the fold for the show’s 60th anniversary, Alfonso had a blast knocking on dressing room doors and playing catch-up.
“I have been blessed to work with so many absolutely amazing people,” she raves, but this reunion was bittersweet because they were shooting John Black’s devastating and heroic end even as they hoped his portrayer, Drake Hogestyn, would beat pancreatic cancer.
“Arriving back was difficult, because, of course, Drake was fighting for his life,” Alfonso admits. “We prayed every day that we would have a story with Drake not too far in the future—that we would all come back together as friends and as a team. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. It’s just so heartbreaking and surprising.”
The actress, who had last appeared on the show to honor her late on-screen father, Billy Hayes, in April 2024, says she felt it when her friend Hogestyn passed away in September.
“I was in the UK and woke up at two in the morning, on my own,” she recounts. “I rolled over and my phone was blowing up. There were all these texts. I paused for a moment, knowing with a heavy heart that it could be very bad news. And of course, it was.”
Would ‘Days of Our Lives’ vet Kristian Alfonso consider returning for good?
With John Black’s final act of heroism set to bring Bo out of his coma and back to Hope and their family, the next week of Days of Our Lives is one Bope fans will NOT want to miss!
“It’s always so amazing,” Alfonso tells Woman’s World of bringing Hope back to Days of Our Lives. “And this time, some stuff’s going to go down!”
As for the future, soap opera veteran reveals she MIGHT consider returning for a longer stint next time around.
“Days of Our Lives has a piece of my heart always,” Alfonso concludes. “It’s home. So if it was a great 3 month storyline… honestly, I don’t know! I had no plan on returning to the show, but coming and going has been super fun. As Days celebrates 60 years, it’s very special to still be a part of this.”
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