Gina Russo

Gina Russo is a fictional character in the American television series Nip/Tuck. She was portrayed by Jessalyn Gilsig.

Character history

She was a bitter, troubled sex addict, and was often the foil to Christian Troy. She and Christian had a love/hate sexual relationship initiated by Christian when he broke Gina's 8 month long vow of celibacy for a one-night stand, incurring Gina's wrath against him for months.

Gina had borderline personality disorder. She alternated between adoring Christian and calling him names. She also suffered from bulimia, sexual addiction, self-hatred, self-destructiveness, sarcasm, rage, bitterness and a tendency to use profanity at minor setbacks.

Season One

She and Christian met at a Sexaholics Anonymous meeting, where they began a love/hate sexual relationship initiated by Christian when he broke Gina's months-long vow of celibacy for a one-night stand, incurring Gina's wrath against him for months. Along with other conditions, she would have sex with different partners and forget their identities. Her Sexaholics Anonymous group calls this "Blackout Sex".

Gina believed she was carrying Christian's child, conceived from their one-night stand. This seemed to spark a tremendous change in Christian who decided he wanted to be the best father he could to the child. The pair only found out in the delivery room that the child was not his because baby Wilber was half black.

Season Two

Despite the revelation Christian vowed to raise Wilber as his own, but Gina's irresponsible behavior continued. Obsessed with motherhood, she tried to have a second child by inviting a group of men over for a "conception party", in which they have group sex - the idea being that a large volume of semen from multiple partners ensures conception. When Christian found out about this, he threatened to take sole custody of Wilber from Gina. She responded by tracking down Wilber's biological father, James Sutherland, an older married man from Arizona. James initially took Christian's side and agreed to give up custody rights to the baby so Christian to raise the child, but he later recanted and won custody of Wilber, taking away the one thing that brought Christian and Gina together.

Gina eventually revealed to Christian she was HIV-positive, which forced Christian to rethink his life as he called up every girl he had sex with since his relationship with Gina to warn them, and then tracked down James and Wilber so they could be tested - all three were HIV-negative. James convinced Christian to see the good in Gina, and he eventually forgave her. Christian ended up paying for Gina's HIV medication (upon finding out that she was without any health care insurance and was not on any HIV medication), and the rent for her apartment.

Season Three

Due to money troubles, Christian was forced to stop supporting Gina's HIV treatment, but she soon found a way to support herself by embarking on an ambitious business venture with Julia McNamara: a surgical recovery spa called "De La Mer". Gina found a creative way to keep down costs on "De La Mer" and began to offer oral sex to contractors and construction workers (male and female) in exchange for reduced fees. Julia was horrified and, for perhaps the first time, offered her validation and told her she is too good to be doing such things to herself.

Later, Gina became the final victim of The Carver, a masked serial rapist, in Miami. She later explained to Sean and Christian that she had shown up to McNamara/Troy to ask Christian to be her date. Christian refused, saying that he did not want to ruin their friendship.

Season Four

Christian was given legal guardianship of Wilber, after James Sutherland and his wife died in a car accident. Gina returned to fight for her own rights to her child despite the fact that James' adult son explained that his father's will explicitly stated that Gina was to have nothing to do with the boy. Gina believed that since she had returned to success with real estate, and had sold Spa De La Mer for a large profit, she could also raise Wilber. When Christian questioned her HIV, she replied that "HIV is the new diabetes". During dinner with Christian, Michelle, and Wilber, Gina returned and tried to visit her son. When she discovered Michelle was to be his new adopted mother, she became enraged and swore that she would have Wilber. Later in the episode, Gina kidnapped her son but later returned him to Christian, telling him she does not want to raise the boy as it would require too much effort to make him a proper young man. She complained that he has a "potty mouth" to which Christian replied that it must be genetic. Gina realized that it is not Wilber that is missing from her life. She left him with Christian after giving him a toy firetruck.

Season Five

In revenge for discovering Christian and Julia were having an affair, Sean hired Gina to be McNamara/Troy's new receptionist. Despite once again claiming to be a reformed character, Gina tried to get her claws into Christian and began to watch him have sex with other women, before cruelly mocking Julia over his infidelity. Inviting Christian up to the McNamara/Troy roof for a candle-lit dinner, Gina proposed they get back together. Christian was initially wary but eventually they began to have sex, with Gina climbing onto the ledge as she was about to orgasm. As Christian thrust into her, Gina was sent flying backward off the ledge to her death.