Daytime Performer of the Week: ‘B&B’s’ Annika Noelle Grapples with Ex-Husband Liam’s Mortality

Michael Maloney May 18, 2025, 10:00 am

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Scott Clifton as Liam, Annika Noelle as Hope — 'The Bold and the Beautiful' — © Howard Wise / jpistudios.com

Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) and Liam’s (Scott Clifton) other loved ones on The Bold and the Beautiful don’t know for certain whether or not he’s going to succumb to his brain cancer and go off to that great soap in the sky. However, viewers do know that there are lots of great performances coming out of this emotional storyline.

Last week, Noelle shined as Liam’s former wife, Hope, who shared a series of emotional scenes with her ex as they came to grips with the reality of Liam’s life possibly ending.

The week began with Hope processing what Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) confided in her — that Liam was dying. Hope and Steffy have a long-running rivalry together. Most of their conflict in life has come from their fighting over Liam.

Steffy could have refrained from telling Hope about Liam’s condition; however, she made the selfless choice to share the information. Rather than play offended that Steffy knew before she did, Noelle made the more noble choice to have Hope feel gratitude to the other woman in Liam’s life. It was fascinating to watch these two “frenemies” keep the focus on what was truly important: Liam.

Armed with the knowledge of Liam’s critical condition, Hope asked her ex to come over for a visit. The two sat down for an overdue heart-to-heart about their life together. Liam’s lingering feelings for Steffy, and Hope’s for Thomas (Matthew Atkinson), caused a rift in their marriage. They split.

As far as Hope was concerned, none of that mattered. Hope wasn’t sure how she was going to hide from Liam that she knew about his condition. In the end, she couldn’t. Her true feelings for him came to the surface. Sure, Hope was feeling angry and sad that Liam was being taken from her, but Noelle chose to have her character focus on the love.

Before Liam figured out that Hope knew what was going on with him, she suggested to her ex that they could take Beth, their daughter, and go away and have some more happy times. Noelle had Hope working overtime to keep Liam from knowing she knew about his illness. In the end, Liam saw Hope’s brave façade start to crack. Liam came to the realization that Hope knew he was gravely ill. Noelle kept Hope’s focus on Liam, the man she deeply loves.

Kudos to B&B for breaking out the same incredibly sad score that was played on the show decades ago when Caroline (Joanna Johnson) painfully realized that her husband Ridge (then, Ronn Moss; now, Thorsten Kaye) knew that she was dying. The theme underscored the heartfelt moments Hope and Liam shared. (Was this foreshadowing Liam’s fate? Stay tuned.)

It’s often more dramatic to watch someone not weep, but there are instances in which there’s no other choice than to let the tears flow. Once the truth was out, Noelle let Hope cry her eyes out as she painfully lamented to Liam that his illness was unfair.

“Liam, people love you. They love you. And they want to be there for you,” Hope bravely told Liam, fully supporting his position that he didn’t want to burden anyone. “Allow the people in your life that love you a chance to be there for you. Don’t make that decision for them. Please.”

Noelle played Hope’s deep sense of loss when Liam told her he’d always be with her and Beth – whether that meant looking down on them from heaven or, should he live, here with them on earth. Hope was forced to look into a future in which Liam may not live to see.

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Hope’s love for Liam is returned in full. She wants to be there for him, and Liam wants Hope to reunite with Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor), the man she loves. Forget about their failed takeover of Forrester Creations. Life’s short, Liam pointed out to Hope.

Unaware that Carter was eavesdropping, Hope told Liam that he still had a future with her and Beth. Noelle had Hope commit to this sentiment 100%. This wasn’t an empty promise to make what could be Liam’s final days happy ones. If Liam does live, we won’t be surprised to see a bona fide triangle emerge with Liam, Hope, and Carter as the players.

Brava to Noelle for her work throughout all of last week. While a lesser actress might have fully dissolved into a puddle of tears and become inconsolable, Noelle chose to have Hope dig deep and find the strength that Liam deserves to have at this incredibly challenging time.

The Bold and the Beautiful, Weekdays, CBS