Emma Samms on Returning to 'General Hospital' with Long COVID: 'I Feel Blessed to Be Believed' (EXCLUSIVE)

With Jason and Anna hustling to save Lucky and Holly on General Hospital, the stakes will get even higher this week—and Port Charles’ favorite unstoppable con artist could even “die” again! General Hospital legacy player Emma Samms, who first joined the soap opera in 1982, dishes on her character Holly Sutton’s latest return and reuniting with old friends like Finola Hughes, Kristina Wagner and Tristan Rogers. 

Emma Samms opens up to Woman’s World about her battle with Long COVID and how it impacts her role as Holly Sutton on General Hospital, including what it’s like to play her sultry character while wearing compression socks. 

Plus, the British beauty, who also played Fallon Carrington Colby, reflects on the specter of Dynasty and The Colbys and whether she regrets refusing to pose for Playboy magazine when she was younger.

Samms on living with Long COVID 

Since contracting COVID-19 in March 2020, Emma Samms, 64, has faced ongoing health challenges with Long COVID, which has impacted her role on General Hospital. And for quite some time, she couldn’t find answers or relief. 

“Everybody's Long COVID is different, which is why it has baffled so many doctors,” Samms explains about her ongoing health battle. “Everybody's been damaged in different ways by the virus, so it's quite hard to treat and it's quite hard for people to understand what you are personally going through.”

“Fortunately, I have now found doctors who are not just aware of it, but also very interested in getting to the bottom of it,” Samms continues. “A lot of people haven't found that or don’t have a partner or an employer who are understanding. I feel very blessed that I have those things, and my heart absolutely goes out. It's a nightmare to be feeling so incredibly unwell and for people to not believe you or understand it.”

 That’s why Samms has become a patron of the UK organization Long COVID SOS, which she recommends as a resource for those looking for more information.

“I never thought I would end up as a spokesperson for Long COVID, but if I can help people who are suffering and also those who are trying to understand it because someone in their life or employment has it, then that's brilliant,” she says.

Samms talks returning to 'General Hospital' with Long COVID

Though Emma Samms has found medications to help manage her Long COVID, leaving her quiet life in the English countryside to get into the drama as Holly Sutton on General Hospital takes all she has, and then some.

“I really wouldn't have had the confidence to do this if it wasn't for the fact that General Hospital is being so aware and respectful of my limitations,” she admits. “My symptom that’s the most frustrating and debilitating is the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome—POTS, which means that if you stand up for too long, you start getting nauseated and have a very unpleasant experience.”

To stay strong, Samms rests her body and voice between scenes and sips a special mineral water concoction. And if there’s any action, she’ll let a stunt double step in. 

Viewers may also notice that during this visit, sultry Holly is often seen seated or leaning seductively against walls and chair backs. While the actress is definitely pulling it off, she admits these tricks to keeping herself standing can sometimes make her feel rather dowdy.

“I find myself always hanging onto something, and I realize that may make me look like a rearing little old lady,” she cracks. “I also wear these delightful compression socks. People can't see them, but even if they could, I'd still wear them. Because you don't care how things look, eventually. If something gives you the comfort that you're not going to fall over or makes you feel even a tiny bit better, you do it.”

Samms talks 'General Hospital' reunions

During the first leg of Samms’ current run, Holly was alone in Nairobi with Jonathan Jackson’s returned Lucky and his captor—who also happens to be her latest mark, Sidwell. Now, Finola Hughes has brought Holly’s old pal Anna to the party, along with Steve Burton’s Jason.

“Jonathan Jackson’s a dream to work with, and Carlo Rota, who's new to daytime, has done spectacularly well,” Samms gushes. “I have not worked much with Steve, so that’s also been a great pleasure. But I just love working with Finola. We've worked together quite a bit over the years, and she’s so extraordinarily talented and such fun.”

The legacy player can only hope Holly survives this week’s drama and make it back to Port Charles so she can play with more of her old friends.

“Running into Kristina Wagner in the halls has been amazingly good,” she says of Felicia’s portrayer. “I just adore her, and our characters are very close. I hope they cross, because it’s joyful when we get to do this together.”

Samms reflects on Holly and Robert’s history on 'General Hospital' 

Then of course, there’s Tristan Rogers' Robert Scorpio, who insisted he was over Holly after her last visit, but recently left her a lovely voicemail message. While Samms can’t say whether they’ll reconnect this visit, she loves the couple they once were. 

“A lot of people feel the best time was when Holly and Robert were happily married—and she kept trying to help with his cases and getting in the way,” she says. “It was so beautifully written. They managed to write in the drama, but also the fun and the little bits of comedy that Tristan and I would do. I think the audience appreciated a couple that was happy, which is a rare thing on a soap!”

Despite Holly’s many presumed deaths on General Hospital, her character’s love of schemes has often driven the drama in her relationship with Robert Scorpio. 

“She only does dirty deals with people who deserve it,” insists Samms, whose character has resonated with viewers for four decades. “I am completely blessed by the very demonstrative audience for Holly. And I can't explain it. I'm just very appreciative of it. If it wasn't for them, there's no way I would be asked back.”

Samms reflects on the specter of 'Dynasty' and 'The Colbys'

While General Hospital was big news in The U.S. during soaps' ‘80s heyday, taking over Pamela Sue Martin’s role on Dynasty in ’85 and bringing Fallon to The Colbys rocketed Samms to another level.

“You never realize quite how big something is until you're right in the middle of it,” she marvels. “Suddenly, there wasn't a country in the world that I traveled to that hadn't seen Dynasty. In the Galapagos Islands, I think there was one television on one island and I got recognized. And of course, it was the first time my family back in England was aware I had some success with my acting career, because it actually reached them.

“I still keep in touch with, Jack Coleman and Gordon Thompson,” she adds, referring to the actors who played Steven and Adam. “In fact, my husband and I just had a lovely lunch with them. We played siblings – and still very much behave like siblings!”

Samms gets candid about turning down 'Playboy'

During those early years, the beauty also fielded two offers to appear in Playboy. 

“Turning down Playboy was about me just being shy,” Samms says. “I've not done nudity in movies, either. That's not a judgment on anybody who does, but I think I made the right decision. It’s embarrassing enough having a mother who does this for a living—that would have just made it worse!

 “As for my (1988) Inside Sports swimsuit layout, I'm really proud of that. I probably haven't been seen in a swimsuit since then, and I still look like that,” Samms tells Woman’s World with a laugh. “I just wear the baggy clothes now to keep up the mystery!”

Tune into General Hospital this week to see whether Holly, Lucky, Jason and Anna can outplay and outwit Ulrich to save themselves—not to mention Lulu!

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