Crimes Committed
Crashed her car while high on pills and was arrested.
Brief Character History
Traci Abbott returned to Genoa City from boarding school 1982. She had little confidence in herself, a feeling only compounded by being overweight and the attention given to her beautiful older sister Ashley.
Traci befriended rock singer Danny Romalotti that summer, and became President of his fan club. She decided she cared too much about him to go away to college, so enrolled at Genoa City University. When Danny invited her to join him on stage for the final number at his concert, she was a big success. But their after-concert celebration plans were ruined when Danny didn't show up for the party (he was taking Patty Williams to the doctor). A hurt Traci wasn't interested in his apologies. As if that wasn't stressful enough, her mother, Dina, returned to town the first time since leaving them when they were children.
Traci continued to have romantic feelings for Danny, who was being pursued by the wily, seductive Lauren Fenmore. Both girls sang with Danny's band and constantly clashed over who would be chosen to sing with him. Traci went on a strict diet to lose weight to gain Danny's attention, but Lauren took every opportunity to humiliate Traci or point out her weight. This began a rivalry which would involve slipped mickeys, a banana split poured on Lauren's head, and a lifespan far longer than their relationship with Danny.
Traci turned to pills supplied by the campus pusher, Sparky. The pills helped her lose weight, but made her unable to sleep or eat, dizzy, and irritable. A terrified Traci popped still more pills when Lauren trapped Danny into an engagement. While high, Traci crashed her car, was arrested, went into convulsions and sustained serious heart damage. Somehow, she managed to participate in a campus drug bust, and when Danny asked her to sing a song for his concert, she instead chose to address the audience on her horrible experience with drugs, and to find a more sensible alternative for your life.
Traci fell in love with a suave, handsome professor, Tim Sullivan, and they began an affair. Traci stopped by his apartment one night and found him in bed with another college girl. Crushed and suicidal, she went back home, turned the gas on, and would have died if not for Cricket Blair finding her in time. Traci then learned she was pregnant by Tim, and old friend Danny agreed to marry her to give the baby a father. When Traci miscarried, she agreed to an annulment and they parted as friends. Traci joined him at concerts over the next several years with topics such as drunk driving and It's OK to Say No.
In 1985, Traci grew close to hunky Brad Carlton, the family groundskeeper. They married, but he was more preoccupied with his budding career at Jabot than his marriage. She went away to Stanford for graduate school (and ran into Tim Sullivan again), and while she was gone, Brad got involved with her old foe Lauren. Brad put the affair on hold when Traci returned after winning a writing contest. Traci had grown close to Tim, but wanted to make her marriage work. Brad tried to understand her desire to write, but didn't want her to go back to Stanford. Traci suggested they have a baby, and Brad reluctantly agreed to keep her in town.
Traci got pregnant, but Brad's crazy ex-wife kidnapped him and showed up at Traci's with photos of Lisa and a drugged Brad in bed together. Soon after, she produced a fake tape recording of Brad saying he wanted a divorce, to return to his true love, Lisa. Traci clutched her stomach in pain, miscarrying for the second time. She then started divorce proceedings. When Brad finally escaped Lisa's clutches, he worked hard to win Traci back. When Traci's sister Ashley began flirting with him to make Traci jealous, the plan worked a little too well. Brad fell for Ashley and lost interest in Traci. Traci and Brad divorced.
While apart from Brad, Traci published two successful novels which became best-sellers, Echoes of the Past (a veiled chronicle of life in the shadow of an older sister) and Epitaph for a Lover.
Brad wooed Ashley, but couldn't get her to decide to choose him over Victor Newman. When Ashley impulsively married Victor, a hurt Brad started dating Traci again. A quickie marriage to Cassandra Rawlins briefly kept them apart, but she was killed in a car accident and Brad inherited her millions. Then Traci learned she was pregnant by Brad again, but this time she kept the news a secret from all but John. She wanted Brad to love her for herself. Then Brad drew close to Ashley due to her marriage problems, and Traci told him of her pregnancy. She also told him she could raise the child on her own, but he refused to let that happen.
Brad and Traci remarried and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Colleen. But their second marriage was no more stable than their first. Traci continued to be jealous of Brad's closeness to Ashley. When Traci's publisher, Steve Connolly, moved to town to help her with her novel, they instantly bonded. She felt as if she'd known him for years; they completed each other's sentences without meaning to. Brad was bitterly jealous, but realized Traci had found true happiness. With a sad farewell to Brad and her family, Traci packed up Colleen and moved to New York City, and soon married Steve.
Traci's appearances since 1992 have been sporadic. In 1994 she visited Brad in the hospital after his heart attack, and got into a nasty cat fight with Lauren in the waiting room! In 1996 she visited when John seriously considered remarrying Dina. In 1999, she joined the family celebration when they bought back Jabot from Newman.
Her visit in 2001 was slightly longer, and less joyful. She discovered Steve was cheating on her, and moved back home, refusing to hear his side. Now-teenaged Colleen didn't believe her at first, then turned against Steve when she realized Traci was telling the truth. Brad spent most of his time comforting mother and daughter, angering his new wife Ashley. Although Traci realized she was experiencing renewed feelings for Brad, she decided to give her marriage to Steve a second chance and not continue fighting with Ashley over Brad. Colleen was disgusted and began lashing out by being disrespectful to Traci and Steve, staying out all hours, smoking pot and being expelled. Hoping a change would straighten her out, Traci and Steve sent Colleen to live with her Grandfather John Abbott in Genoa City.
Brad and Ashley were allowing Colleen to baby-sit for Abby to show they trusted her. Not long after they left, Colleen walked outside to begin her smoke when baby Abby choked on a button and Colleen ran to her aid, saving her life. She was commended for her efforts after Brad and Ashley realized that the button was dropped by Ashley before she left. Colleen realized how different things could have ended if she had been stoned, so flushed the marijuana and vowed never to smoke again. With the help of her new friend J.T. Hellstrom, Colleen tried her best to stay out of trouble. She worked on the school yearbook, performed in the school play, and returned to both jazz and ballet. Colleen was taken onto the Glo By Jabot team, taking Mac's place as assistant to the webmaster. Too much partying all summer left J.T. lacking the books he was supposed to have read prior to starting GCU. To the rescue was 15 year old Colleen who had a crush on J.T. She had read all the books and tutored him in what he'd need to know. J.T. enjoyed her company, but had no intentions to deflower the young teen. But by the time she turned 16 they were indeed in love, but being 19 and in college, and his reputation with the girls, John forbade Colleen to see him. She began sneaking out and meeting JT on the sly. Colleen eventually went to live with her father Brad and Ashley, and she and JT became a sweet love story. Unfortunately in June of 2004 JT and Colleen split up, and Colleen returned to New York City brokenhearted. Traci visited GC once again to say goodbye to her father John as he went off to prison for the murder of Tom Fisher.
RELATED INFORMATION
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