On June 18th, 1998 Patrika Darbo debuted as Nancy Wesley, wife of Dr. Craig Wesley (Kevin Spirtas) on Days of Our Lives.
When the role was created, the producer (Tom Langan) and casting director (Fran Bascom) were looking for someone to represent a “real woman” as the producer described. Darbo was suggested for the role and she didn’t have to audition for the part. Fans strongly reacted, in a positive way, that a handsome doctor loved a woman who wasn’t super thin and viewers felt represented. Darbo was glad that Nancy Wesley broke the stereotype associated with overweight roles.
Darbo had stated that Nancy’s success was partially due to her chemistry with Spirtas and that fans felt like the Wesley’s were a couple they could relate to since they were a team that did everything together. Spirtas had stated that he loved that Nancy was “an unconventional wife, both in appearance and attitude” and described Nancy as an evil, glamorous villainous.
The Wesley’s were schemers who teamed up together. When Nancy debuted, she was a volunteer at University Hospital and she wanted to help Craig take the Chief of Staff role from Mike Horton (Roark Critchlow).
Other storylines Nancy was involved in: she battled breast cancer, the complicated beginning of her relationship with her daughter, Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin), and Chloe’s leukemia storyline.
Darbo and Spirtas returned to Days of Our Lives in 2022. It was revealed that Craig had been cheating on Nancy with Leo Stark (Greg Rikkart). The coming out later in life storyline had mixed reviews, mostly negative ones. Fans were vocal that the storyline took away what made the popular couple special in the first place. Spirtas left the show when it was revealed that Leo was initially interested in Craig for his money. Darbo is still on the show as Nancy is trying to move forward in her life following the divorce from Craig. She is currently dating Clyde Weston (James Read).
Please help us celebrate Patrika Darbo’s 24-year anniversary of her debut as Nancy Wesley!
Leave a Reply