Vicki Stubing from 'The Love Boat' Stuns in Mini Dress at 56 with Sons after She Fought for Custody of Her Child

• "The Love Boat" star Jill Whelan who played Vicki Stubing on the show, has seen some hard times during the course of her life. She once lost all her money and faced custody battles over one of her sons.
• Now that she is 56 years old, her life looks completely different.
• Having overcome all the trials and tribulations in her life, the actress now lives a happy life with her husband and sons and shares fabulous pictures of her family while looking stunning in a fancy mini-dress.

Starring in "The Love Boat" at the tender age of 11, Jill Whelan was the youngest person to join the cast. The actress played Captain Stubing's daughter, Vicki Stubing, on the show. Before becoming a "series regular," Whelan was hired to appear in a 90-minute episode of the series by the show's producer, Aaron Spelling.

Whelan had garnered experience from Spelling after the two worked on numerous productions, one of which included a four-week show titled "Friends" and some segments of "Fantasy Island." These roles had helped the fledgling actress establish a reputation in television, and when she first started on "The Love Boat," fans inquired about her becoming a "series regular" on the show.

Though Whelan had already built up somewhat of a status within the television industry, the star was still slightly intimated by becoming a series regular on "The Love Boat." Whelan describes her experience in joining the classic show's cast as "nerve-wracking":

"I didn't know what to expect or how to act. I remember the first day I came on; they were all very [lovely, and] I could sense that they were a little nervous about having a kid around, but they were all fantastic. Of course, I was a nervous wreck [but] we [Spelling]...developed a chemistry together. Mr. Spelling had a lot of faith in me, which was a big help."

The show's success presented Whelan with an opportunity to boost her acting career, which certainly was the case with the show's increased popularity amongst the public. Following her time on "The Love Boat," Whelan started her own beaded jewelry line, the Whelan Martell line, all during the same period she was going through a volatile divorce from Brad St. John, a businessman and the father of her one of her sons. The likes of Vanessa Williams and TV soapy star Melody Scott Thomas have worn her pieces.

Fondly looking back on memories from her breakout debut on the show 45 years later, Whelan and her co-star and longtime friend, Ted Lange, who played the bartender, Isaac, marvel at how the show was a very "special time" in both of their lives. The friends look back on the number of years they have "stayed friends" in awe and admiration. Lange expressed just how rare his friendship with Whelan has been.

At 56, Whelan is thriving after overcoming the trials and tribulations she encountered throughout her life. After finalizing her divorces and winning her custody battles, Whelan has now found her true life partner - Jeff Knapple.

Jill Whelan Lost All Her Money And Fought For Custody Of Her Son: What Happened?

Before her marriage to St. John, Whelan, and the businessman had met when the actress moved to New York to pursue work in theater in 1992. At the time, St. John was living in the same apartment building as her, and after just two weeks of dating, he proposed. According to Whelan's mother, a real estate broker by the name of Carol Garrett:

"He told her how wonderful she was, and she fell for him, hook, line, and sinker. Suddenly, she was engaged."

The coupled wed in 1993 on Christmas Eve, and in 1995, they welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Harrison St. John. The duo's marriage started to take a turn for the worse the same year their son was born. According to Whelan, all her money, including money made from "The Love Boat" that was put into a trust fund, was depleted.

Whelan had stipulated that she had put most of her money towards her ex-husband's "failed" African business ventures that involved St. John purchasing accessories and "semiprecious" gems to sell in New York. Garrett commented on how she felt her daughter was taken advantage of in the situation:

"There are a lot of women who would've been a lot more bitter. She worked so hard for so many years [and] all she says is, "He gave me the greatest gift of my life [her son Harrison]."

In 1996 Whelan and St. John divorced, and Whelan then went on to marry Michael Chaykowsky in April 2004. The couple initially met 16 years before marriage, working at Madison Square Garden on a Caribbean Princess cruise ship, and their divorce was announced after ten years of marriage in 2014 over "irreconcilable differences." The duo shares a son - Grant Chaykowsky, whom Whelan filed for full legal and physical custody along with a request for "spousal support."

At 56, Jill Has Found Peace And Looks Great With Her Family

At 56, Whelan is thriving after overcoming the trials and tribulations she encountered throughout her life. After finalizing her divorces and winning her custody battles, Whelan has now found her true life partner - Jeff Knapple.

Fans get an inside look into Whelan's now happy life with her new beau, Knapple. The accomplished actress constantly boasts about how happy Knapple makes her and the love they share as partners. In a cute dedicatory Instagram post to her partner, Whelan details how "lucky" she is to have found Knapple on their wedding anniversary:

"This man [and] this day; I can't believe how lucky I am [and] I can't believe I get to spend my life in your orbit. Thank you, God, and thank you, Bill Sanders, for introducing us."

Knapple and Whelan spend copious amounts of time together, and the two often post about exciting adventures they do with each other. Knapple is a former American quarterback who previously played for the Denver Broncos.

The couple habitually includes their kids in family outings and gatherings. Both Knapple and Whelan have shown that they are big on family and value the time that they all get to share together. Whelan has also seemed to have gotten her "groove" all the way back as she poses in a stunning mini-dress with her family in one of her many published photos.

Aside from spending her days with Knapple and her sons, Whelan also enjoys cooking and baking. "The Love Boat" icon shares various tips and tricks on how not to burn pies and the like in the kitchen.

Kitted with step-by-step recipes, Whelan shows her fans just how skilled she has gotten in her kitchen. The actress also shows how witty and funny she is with her remarks in the cooking videos that she posts.

Whelan has finally gotten to a place in her life where she is completely happy. After all the difficulties that "The Love Boat" talent has endured, she has found her happily ever after with her current partner and the company of her loving sons, and she is just as gorgeous today as she was at the pinnacle of her career. Whelan continues to flourish and live her best life.

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