Tracey E. Bregman I Feel So Blessed

The Young and the Restless star reflects on her life, motherhood and her long career

- By Natalie Posner

Over the many years she has played Lauren Fenmore Baldwin on The Young and the Restless, actress Tracey E. Bregman has been kidnapped, buried alive, drugged, stalked and arrested. She’s survived a plane crash, a yacht explosion and escaped from a building on fire. Lauren has often lived to regret falling in love, which may be why Tracey takes a cautious approach to romance in real life. “I don’t believe in love at first sight per se,” Tracey, 58, tells Closer with a laugh. “I am much too jaded for that. I do, however, believe in an instant connection.”

Soap fans have felt a connection with Tracey since she burst onto the small screen in 1978 playing troubled teenager Donna Temple Craig on Days of Our Lives. In 1985, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Y&R’s Lauren, a role she still plays on the show today.

You were born into a showbiz family. Your dad, Buddy Bregman, was a well-known musical arranger and producer, and your mom is actress Suzanne Lloyd. Do you feel you were destined to act?

Growing up in London, my mother was on The Saint with Roger Moore, and my father was the head of BBC specials. I was always on a set. But I also had a strong connection to animals from a very, very early age, so the first thing I wanted to be was a veterinary surgeon.

What changed your mind?