Ashlee Wolfe

Ashlee Wolfe is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama Guiding Light. She was portrayed by Caitlin Van Zandt from April 25, 2006 to the show's ending in September 2009. The character was subjected to various pressures due to her being overweight and attempted to rise above the ridicule by dating Henry Cooper Bradshaw and change her life. Van Zandt's decision to have the lap-band surgery influenced her character's storyline when Ashlee received it as well. The storyline received much press attention as Van Zandt became a supporter and image of healthy living and eating habits.^[1]

Character Information

Ashlee was raised by her mother Doris Wolfe^[2] in a trailer park and had a casual friend in Lizzie Spaulding. Ashlee was pulled into the story when Jonathan Randall thought that her gossipy nature would be useful to him. She realized immediately that his flirtation with her was an attempt to get information on Lizzie and others and used this to her advantage. In exchange for information, she exploited Jonathan as her date on numerous occasions, including her prom. He stole her keys to the OB-GYN clinic where she worked so that he could check on the paternity of Lizzie's baby. While Jonathan tried to pry information from Ashlee, Lizzie soon realized what he was after and tried to have her files destroyed.

No longer having a use for Ashlee, Jonathan tried to push her out of his life but she kept coming back until he became threatening and her mother launched a court case against him. When this was dropped, they began working together to protect Lizzie from Alan and Ashlee's mother panicked again. Subsequently, a lonely Ashlee, in the service of Blake Marler, became one of her crucial sources for information on Springfield Burns. While charges for her involvement were never laid, she managed to turn her talent for digging dirt into a job with Dinah Marler on her new TV show. Ashlee's mother eventually married Alan Spaulding. When she and her mother moved into the mansion, Ashlee was surprised to find that they were getting the cold shoulder from their new family. She excitedly helped her mother plan the wedding and sang a song at the ceremony. Things went wrong quickly though and, realizing that Alan didn't want her and her mother, she snatched a gun and used it on him when he confessed the truth to her. While he lay in a coma, she watched as Joshua Lewis was taken off to prison and the family fought over what would happen when Alan died. In view of Ashlee's attempted murder of Alan, Lizzie resented Ashlee and sabotaged her birthday. However, this gave Ashlee the opportunity to become closer to Coop Bradshaw. When Alan came out of his coma, he confronted Ashlee about the shooting, but told no one else. After Doris managed to stop a panicky Ashlee from confessing to Frank Cooper, her daughter told her everything. While in a juvenile detention facility, Ashlee became friends with Daisy Lemay and Rafe Rivera.

In April 2008, after a lifetime of being overweight, Ashlee received the gastric lap band surgery and dropped 90 pounds.^[3] Having dated Coop for a while, Ashlee was ready to move on with her life and broke up with him. She subsequently became addicted to exercise but eventually learned the healthy way of living as a leaner person. Ashlee was dealt with a blow when Doris revealed to her that she was a lesbian. Ashlee was upset that her mother kept this lifelong secret but soon accepted her mother's sexuality^[4] before moving to Berkeley, California with Daisy Lemay to attend college in a writing program.^[5]

References