Laura Spencer from 'General Hospital' Is a Doting Mom in Real Life – She Lost 30 Lbs & Wears Her Hair Differently

• Laura Collins from "General Hospital" turned 61!
• She is a happy wife and mother of two in real life.
• "I am able to look at the future": Genie Francis talked about her weight problems.

American actress Genie Francis is best known for her role in "General Hospital," but has had roles in other titles since her Hollywood career began in 1963. Now, she is celebrating a milestone.

Francis recently celebrated her 61st birthday, surrounded by her friends and two children. Francis also has three TV children, and fans know her for being a wonderful mother to them on screen.

While Francis' career on "General Hospital" has been hugely successful, she has dipped her toe into other soap opera waters, starring in "Days of Our Lives" and "The Young and The Restless." Her "General Hospital" character's three children are Lucky, Lulu, and Nikolas.

Now, Francis looks as beautiful as ever, with her strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes that perfectly match her wide smile and cheerful demeanor. The official General Hospital YouTube page recently posted a video of Francis thanking her fans for being loyal throughout the years.

Fans were charmed by the fact that Francis addressed them in the video and left lovely comments for the actress. Many considered Francis the "Queen" of "General Hospital," while others shared their ongoing love for Francis and her character.

Aside from how fans felt about Francis' personality and character on the show, some talked about her appearance, with one comment reading:

"She's still as pretty as when she first came on to ["General Hospital"]."

While fans love her for her mothering character on the show and her children love her as their mother in reality, Francis says she does not often think of herself, which she thinks is the best way to deal with motherhood.

Francis admitted that the best thing about being a mother was forgetting herself because she focused on her children. The actress felt relief when she could focus more on her children than herself.

Francis Adores Spending Time with Her Husband and Two Children

Francis shared that she loved being a mother because it gave her something to focus on other than herself. The actress loves having children as she considers it the gift she keeps giving.

The mother of two once shared that motherhood was wonderful because each new stage of a child's life was like a gift to the parent. Even in adulthood, she has found new things to celebrate in her children.

Francis shares her children with her husband, Jonathan Frakes. Frakes is best known for his role as Commander William Riker in "Star Trek." The pair have been happily married since 1988.

The pair share a daughter named Elizabeth and a son named Jameson. The star's favorite way to spend special occasions is with her husband and children at home. She also enjoys barbecuing instead of visiting a restaurant on busy holidays like Mother's Day.

Francis often shares photos of herself and her husband on social media, showing off their adventures. In 2017, she posted a photo of herself and her husband on Facebook, thanking him for being a wonderful father.

In 2022, Francis again took to Facebook to share a photo of herself and her husband riding bicycles with matching helmets. Fans loved the sweet snap and said how beautiful Francis and Frakes are as a couple.

"I Am Able to Look At The Future with Hope": Francis Lost 30 Lbs

Francis and her husband have a beautiful life with healthy and happy children; Francis has faced some struggles that have led to her making important life decisions regarding her health.

The actress lost her sister and admitted that it led her down a path of using food as comfort. Francis acknowledged that after her sister's death, she had made little time for her needs.

While Francis admitted she had always been an "emotional eater," she quickly reached an alarming weight. She described turning to food for comfort as an "ongoing problem in [her] life."

Francis also felt the keen loss of becoming an empty nester as her children had grown up and moved out of their family home. She used food as a coping mechanism for her heartache.

However, she overcame her grief and found other, healthier sources of comfort. After feeling pressure to be thin all her life for her role in "General Hospital," Francis said diets had taught her to starve herself, but the diet she went on this time taught her how to feed herself and lose 30 lbs in seven months.

The actress has now learned that she can have pancakes for breakfast if she wants to and that she can have healthy snacks throughout the day. She has also learned that diet alone will not help you keep the weight off.

Francis learned that she had to go to the gym at least five times weekly to build muscle and keep unwanted weight off. She admitted that she did not want to go to the gym initially, but she began enjoying it after five weeks.

Now, Francis does weight training with a personal trainer three times a week, and the other two days are dedicated to cardio. She revealed that weight loss had become her secondary priority because she now goes to the gym to feel good. She shared:

"I am able to look at the future with some sort of hope and excitement now."

When she was overweight, Francis did not have this sense of positivity and hope for the future. Instead, she could see only the dark side of her weight and what it was doing to her body and mind.

Although Francis had lost 30 lbs in seven months in 2015, she wanted to lose a further 20 to feel her best. Now, she looks better than ever, and fans are delighted to see her doing so well. Happy belated 61st birthday to Genie Francis!

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