Bad girl-turned-heroine who was a daytime favorite for decades looks unrecognizable on a lunch outing in Los Angeles

This Daytime Emmy nominee was a beloved ABC soap opera favorite for nearly half a century.

She started her career with small roles in shows such as As The World Turns (1966) and A Flame in the Wind (1964).

Her popularity soared when her love triangle with David Birney and Donna Mills had fans fanning their minds in the CBS soap opera Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1967–1970).

Ultimately, she collected more than 40 credits to her name.

But her career would reach new heights when she replaced the beloved Patsy Rahn on the long-running soap opera General Hospital.

Can you guess who she is?

It’s Leslie Charleson!

The 79-year-old, known for playing the role of Dr. Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital for 47 years recently looked very different during a lunch outing with friends.

In photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, she stood hunched over her walker – even needing help to safely get off the sidewalk and onto the street.

Quartermaine’s personality was known for her strawberry blonde hair, but during this outing she wore white with a shade of her usual golden blonde.

The soap veteran dined at Atwater Village, in the Los Angeles suburbs. On this rare outing, she stayed for about an hour sipping a large glass of white wine before heading home.

Charleson has not appeared on General Hospital since December 2023, when she co-starred in a scene with Jane Elliot and Michael Easy, after being off the show for almost two years.

Her opponent Steve Burtonher on-screen son Jason, briefly addressed her absence on his Daily Drama podcast on May 23.

He answered questions from viewers about when his on-screen mother would have future scenes on the show.

‘She’s on the mend. She’s doing better.

“I’m not going to say anything, just out of respect for her, because I love her so much.

“Hopefully she’ll come back and I’ll get some scenes with mom.”

The soap opera has largely kept Charleson’s absence under wraps, but fans have speculated that she is suffering from health issues supported by Burton’s recent vague statement.

The most notable example of injury or health causing Charleson to disappear from the spotlight was on April 17, 2018, when General Hospital posted on X which stated that the actress was injured while walking her dog.

‘Leslie Charleson’s beloved dog, Riley Rose, was a little too eager for her morning walk and tripped Leslie, injuring her leg.

“Unfortunately, she will have to be replaced in shows already written.

“She sends all her love and will be back as soon as she recovers. We wish her a speedy recovery and all the best.’

The final In the scene Charleson was in last December, Monica comes home to deal with Finn’s malpractice case. After being summoned, Finn goes to Monica’s office and pleads his case for what led to the lawsuit.

Monica agrees to stay with Finn regardless of his actions.

Fans raved about Charleson’s return, writing beneath the reposted scene on Instagram that it was great to see the actress back on screen.

To explain her absence, the show will often make excuses, such as that her character Monica is away for a conference or recovering from a brief illness.

The last mentions of Monica came because of Jason’s return. When Jason was arrested, he was given a remark from his mother, which seemed to cause real tears.

Although she hasn’t been on the show since December, Wikipedia still lists her as an active cast member.

Monica was later said to be recovering from an illness and asked Jason to take her place at Chase and Brook Lynn’s wedding.

Monica’s run on General Hospital has been ongoing since 1976, when she moved to Port Charles with her fictional husband Jeff Webber. Their marriage seems perfect, but in reality Monica married him after being deeply in love with his brother Rick, who was presumed dead in Africa.

The show gets even more exciting after the couple have their own affairs and it turns out that Rick is still alive, before their marriage collapses a year later.

Monica is known for going far to get her way and constantly interferes in Rick’s relationship with Lesley Faulkner during the beginning of her performance.

A tumultuous relationship with Dr. Alan Quartermaine, multiple affairs, surviving assassination attempts, paternity questions, the on-screen deaths of four of her children, breast cancer and being fired from General Hospital are just some of the storylines her character followed.

Meanwhile, in real life, Charleson Haas led a mostly private life – to marry businessman Bill Demms in 1988, even though they would not divorce until three years later.

She never had children and instead focused on her career.

General Hospital has been airing since 1963 – with 62 seasons and 15,600 episodes under its belt.

According to him, Charleson has appeared in 2,061 episodes IMDB.