Five of the ‘80s biggest TV stars—Donna Mills, Nicollette Sheridan, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, and Loni Anderson—reunited for Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas this year. The reunion had another spicy detail featuring Linda and her scandalous onscreen lover, Christopher Atkins.
Linda was elated to learn that Atkins would be cast as her romantic partner because they famously co-starred as lovers in the classic nighttime soap opera Dallas. “It was such a joy for me to find out that they cast Chris Atkins to be my husband in the movie,” she told USA TODAY.
20 years later
In Dallas, Linda played married Sue Ellen Ewing, who was having a steamy affair with Atkin’s Peter Richards, a younger man. “It means that Sue Ellen married her toyboy after all. I just loved it,” she gushed about their reunion on A Divas Christmas.
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Interestingly, both actors have yet to see each other for two decades since their last project together until now. “I think he was 22 when I met him. And to see him now as a dad and grandfather. It was like, ‘Wow, this whole thing has come full circle,” Linda said.
Sue and Richard’s happily ever after
Linda now portrays a soap actress with her bickering co-stars at a Malibu mansion for a Christmas special, and though she and Atkins never share a screen, she is seen calling him often for moral support. “That was simply how the script was written,” executive producer Larry Thompson explained. “The hubby was at home, while she was visiting the ladies in Malibu.”
Thompson captured the moment when Linda and Atkins met again on the A Divas Christmas set, and in the video, Linda embraced her partner and said, “You haven’t changed.” Fans can watch the Lifetime holiday movie through cable TV or via streaming channels like Philo, Frndly, or SlingTV.