General Hospital Comings & Goings: Carolyn Hennesy Returns as Diane, Says Fans ‘Got Me Through’ Injury (Excl)

The inimitable attorney Diane Miller has been absent from the General Hospital canvas since last October while her portrayer, Carolyn Hennesy, undertook a challenging recovery from a broken leg, one that required multiple surgeries. Happily, the actress is now both on the mend and back at work, and Diane makes her triumphant return to the Port Charles scene on Tuesday, January 13! Soap Opera Digest spoke to Hennesy about her comeback.

Back In Action

Hennesy’s injury occurred, she explained in a Facebook post in November 2025, when she “got tangled up with my dog, Bela Lugosi. No one‘s fault; he just had the Zoomies and instead of stepping on him I decided to launch myself mid air and came down wrong, to say the least.” Two surgeries later, she tells Digest that her recovery has been “slow, but very, very steady. Two months ago, I couldn’t move without my walker and a brace on my leg; yesterday I took my first steps with no brace, no walker. I feel like I’m ready to jet ski, or square dance, or climb back on my trapeze, but rationally, I know that’s gonna take a while!”

The actress has been chomping at the bit to resume her GH duties. Asked how she knew that she was ready to go back to work, she winks, “I woke up from surgery.” During her time away, she certainly missed her alter ego, the fabulous Ms. Miller. “Of course!” she says. “Then again, I live with her. But let’s face it,” she adds. “In my mind, the world missed Diane!”

Needless to say, her first day back at the studio was a memorable and happy one. “The people on that set, actors and crew, are like family to me — Cynthia Watros [Nina] sent the most fabulous cookies you can imagine during my recovery, bless her huge heart — so in a way it was kind of like going back home,” Hennesy muses. “But that day, everyone was so supportive, so kind. The hair and makeup gal’s and Shawn [Reeves] in wardrobe bent over backward to make me comfortable, our stage manager could not have been more eager to help, and Nancy [Lee Grahn, Alexis, with whom she shared her scenes] was so considerate…. and I got a lot of love from Frank [Valentini, executive producer]! Honestly, I thought it was going to be some big drama within the drama, but it went as smooth as silk.”

Hennesy, who will mark her 20th anniversary in the role of Diane this coming December, couldn’t be more grateful for the the way fans rallied behind her during her recovery. She declares, “The love from the fans truly got me through this and kept my mind right. Their support meant and means everything to me. The messages on social media regarding my leg and Diane’s absence from the show honestly, I believe, sped up the healing process.”

While Hennesy continues to heal, her injury will be incorporated into Diane’s storyline to explain the actress’s use of a wheelchair.