One Life to Live fans fell in love with young Llanview couple Cole and Starr, portrayed by Brandon Buddy and Kristen Alderson. And we're pretty sure fans of the former ABC soap opera will fall in love with the long-kept secret Alderson just shared: she and Buddy not only dated on the show, but they were an item off the show, as well.
The actress, who also played General Hospital's Kiki Jerome, took to Twitter with some late-night ramblings, writing: "Procrastinating washing my face led me down a rabbit hole of Starr and Cole scenes on YouTube. So here I am at 2:30 a.m. still in my stage makeup watching myself at age 15 and 18 be in love with my first love. Life is weird and beautiful. So grateful for it all."
Procrastinating washing my face led me down a rabbit hole of Starr and Cole scenes on YouTube. So here I am at 2:30am STILL in my stage make-up...watching myself...at age 15 & 18 be in love with my first love😭😍😂 Life is WEIRD & beautiful. So grateful for it all🙌 #OLTL #Sole pic.twitter.com/EzpYtPaOBn
- Kristen Alderson (@krisalderson) November 21, 2018
When a major Cole and Starr fan asked Alderson if she had interpreted the tweet correctly -- that the pair had been a real-life couple as well, Alderson confirmed, sharing: "It was a secret but yep. It was real-life, too."
Hahaha it was a secret but yep. It was real life too🙊😄 https://t.co/sCwm02qKNn
- Kristen Alderson (@krisalderson) November 21, 2018
Alderson made her OLTL debut in 1998 and grew up on-screen as Starr. Buddy took on the role of Cole Thornhart in the fall of 2006, and -- despite their young ages -- Starr and Cole quickly became a popular supercouple on the soap with many front-burner storylines. One of the most popular involved the pair finally deciding to sleep together and later becoming teen parents to a daughter they named Hope.
Following OLTL's cancellation in 2011, Alderson joined the cast of GH, and Cole and Hope were killed off in a car accident, leaving Starr to build a new life on her own in Port Charles. The actress decided to leave daytime in 2015, and GH recast Hayley Erin in the role.
After leaving OLTL, Buddy spiraled down a dangerous path and ended up getting arrested for driving while intoxicated and allegedly having hard drugs in his possession in 2015. Following the shocking news, the actor began a journey toward recovery and publicly shared a thank you to all who helped rescue him from what he calls the "pit of my hell."
"The beautiful thing about being lost is that then you can be found," he wrote. "About 7 months ago I was breaths away from death and now I'm stronger than I've ever been. I want to thank you all for your prayers. Words cannot describe how sorry I am for all the broken promises, for letting you down and for the hurt that I might have caused. I have been blessed with a fresh start and understand the importance of it... I was rescued from the pit of my hell not to better my life but to help others! Thank you all for your love and support."
With Alderson's recent reveal that she and Buddy used to be a real-life couple, fans are hoping there might be a way for the actors to reunite on-screen. And the possibility isn't too far out of left field. Hayley Erin has left GH for her role on the Pretty Little Liars spin-off titled The Perfectionists, but Alderson cannot reprise the role of Kiki, who was killed. However, with ABC having regained the rights to all things OLTL, she could potentially return as Starr, while Buddy could return as Cole. Christmas wishes, people!
For his part, Buddy took to Twitter to refer to those ol' soap days as "the best days" of his life.
Couldn't have said it better! Those were some of the best days of my life ?? xo! https://t.co/pOjapC8Asr
— Brandon Buddy (@BrandonRBuddy) November 28, 2018
What do you think of Alderson's reveal that she and Brandon Buddy used to date in real life? Would you love to see the actors back on-screen together? If so, could you accept the pair as new characters, or would you only want to see them as Cole and Starr? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.