SUSAN WALTERS ON SHOCKING RETURN TO Y&R

When we last saw Diane Jenkins in 2011, she was lying facedown in water with her head bashed in and played by Maura West (Ava, GH).

Now, Y&R has tapped Diane No. 2, Susan Walters, to reprise the role — that is, when she finally answered their call. “I never pick up my phone, so I got a text (transcribed by voicemail] that said, 'Hey, this is tony marina from wine art, give me a call, recounts the actress. "I thought it was about drinking wine and doing art, so, it just didn't register with me. Now, I once met [Executive Producer] Tony Morina, when I flew in to play Diane for one day, but that was over 10 years ago, so I didn't respond to that message.

Luckily, the two were able to make contact. “Tony said, "Hey, we're bringing Diane back. Would you be interested?' ” Walters shares. "I was texting with my manager at the same time, 'Oh, my God! Y&R wants me back!' and I told Tony, Yeah, let's do it!' When I later told him about ignoring his first message, I said, 'What if I never called you?' He said, 'Well, Susan, we would've kept trying [laughs).”

Walters was well aware that her alter ego had been killed in self-defense by Nikki on screen. "Tony explained how they were going to make it work,” Walters notes. "I just said, 'Doesn't matter to me. My Diane was alive when I left, so I have no problem coming back. That's somebody else's problem (laughs).'”