What happened to Susan Flannery’s character on The Bold and the Beautiful? Explained

Susan Flannery portrayed Stephanie Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful since its debut on March 24, 1987. Stephanie, the wife of fashion designer Eric Forrester, had a difficult childhood, making her protective of her children. Her marriage to Eric was marked by romantic rivalries with women like Brooke Logan, Beth Logan, Margo Lynley, Sheila Carter, and Sally Spectra.

Stephanie Forrester's role as the matriarch of the Forrester family would come to an end in 2012 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. The cancer would eventually take her life on November 26, 2012.

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Stephanie Forrester was introduced to The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987

Stephanie Forrester was part of The Bold and the Beautiful from its very inception and started out as the love interest of Eric Forrester. She had five children with Eric: Thorne, Felicia, Ridge, Kristen, and Angela.

Stephanie and Eric began to drift apart after the latter began showing interest in other women such as Beth Logan, an old flame from his college days. Eric had dated Beth when he was younger, only to leave her after he got Stephanie pregnant.

Stephanie's daughter, Angela, had seemingly died at birth, only for it to be revealed that she was actually comatose at a hospital Stephanie had been secretly visiting. However, this comatose "Angela" turned out to be an impostor hired by the doctor to scam Stephanie out of her money.

Stephanie's son, Thorne, would end up marrying Caroline Spencer, but Ridge also clashed with him over her affections.

However, when Thorne moved on to pursue Brooke Logan, Stephanie was incensed. She tracked down Brooke to the Big Bear cabin and attacked her with a fire poker, the fighting ending with her trying to choke Brooke out. Despite Stephanie's efforts, Thorne ended up proposing to Brooke, prompting Stephanie to suffer a stroke. Stephanie had another fight with Brooke in the hospital as well.

This stroke ended up making Eric reconcile with Stephanie, and he remarried her in the hospital itself. Stephanie continued to butt heads against Brooke over her relationship with Thorne.

Macy Alexander would subsequently be introduced as Thorne's ex-wife who had a rivalry with Brooke, and the two would get into a car accident that resulted in Macy's death.

At Macy's funeral, her mother, Sally, made a big scene out of Thorne continuing to see Brooke, which cause Stephanie to have another stroke. After this point, she'd begin to warm up to Brooke when the latter shared a photo album with her.

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Stephanie Forrester met her end due to cancer

Stephanie died in the arms of her longtime rival, Brooke. (Image via CBS)

Stephanie Forrester was diagnosed with lung cancer after collapsing during an argument with Brooke. This led her to reflect on her life and create a bucket list. Though her cancer went into remission, she became concerned for Nick Marone, who smoked cigars. She staged an intervention for him after a spot was found on his lung during a diagnosis.

Stephanie's own cancer would eventually return from remission on October 2012's run of The Bold and the Beautiful, and this time she accepted her impending death and refused treatment. Her friends and family held an Irish-themed party in her honor, and she died while under Brooke's care, her longtime rival. She succumbed to her illness as Brooke sang her to sleep.

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The Bold and the Beautiful airs on CBS.