Character from the soap opera The Young and the Restless
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from "The Young and the Restless", an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When first introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
Despite her second marriage to Jack Abbott, Nick and Sharon had an affair and conceived another child: Faith. During the pregnancy, Sharon experienced kleptomania. Faith was kidnapped by Adam Newman, Nick's half-brother, who married Sharon after leading her to believe Faith had died. When Adam's crimes were revealed, Sharon remained in love with him; SoapNet considered the relationship "dark". Since 2009, former showrunner Maria Arena Bell and subsequent head writers that followed have significantly changed the character's direction, receiving negative backlash from critics and audiences. In 2012, Sharon controversially marries her former father-in-law Victor Newman twice, gains control of his company and burns down his ranch — a sequence of events which resulted in her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sharon then altered DNA test results to make Nick believe his daughter Summer was fathered by Jack. Her subsequent storylines have included being reunited with her other daughter (and Cassie's twin) Mariah Copeland; marrying Nick's other half-brother Dylan McAvoy; experiencing a phantom pregnancy after miscarrying their child, which led her to keep a child that wasn't hers for months; and battling breast cancer before marrying Rey Rosales.
Sharon has been characterized as "insecure" and "a survivor" by Case, who recognized the character's history of "weird" behavior prior to her bipolar diagnosis. Despite her crimes and faults, Sharon is described as an "ever-suffering heroine" by "Canyon News", and has been called soap opera's "hottest mess" by Daytime Confidential. The supercouple pairing of Nick and Sharon attracted a large fan following. Case has become popular with viewers and her performance has received praise from critics (particularly for overcoming heavily panned writing), while also earning her several award nominations, including winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1999. ;templatestyles src="Template:TOC limit/styles.css" / ;
Storylines.
Born on June 20, 1974, Sharon Collins grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Having been abandoned by her father, she lived with her mother, Doris Collins (Karen Hensel), who was confined to a wheelchair after chasing a rebellious Sharon years earlier. Sharon became pregnant by high-school boyfriend Frank Barritt (Phil Dozois), but gave the child up for adoption.
In 1994, 18-year-old Sharon arrives in Genoa City and begins attending a local high school. She meets Nick Newman (son of wealthy tycoon Victor Newman), who is dating Amy Wilson (Julianne Morris). Nick falls in love with Sharon, despite Sharon's ex-boyfriend Matt Clark's (Eddie Cibrian) attempts to win her back. Nick and Sharon briefly separate after Matt exposes Sharon's secret about her motherhood at 16, but they reunite shortly afterwards. An angry Matt later rapes Sharon in his car, traumatizing her. Nick and Sharon become engaged; she tells him about the rape, which leads him to avenge Matt. Matt is shot, and Nick is the chief suspect. He is convicted and acquitted several months later, when Amy confesses to the shooting. After Matt leaves town, Nick and Sharon marry; to hold on to Nick, Sharon stops using birth control and becomes pregnant. Nick complains that he is unready for fatherhood; Sharon nearly has an abortion, but he stops her. In 1997, she gives birth to Noah Newman, who nearly dies after his premature birth. While Noah was critically ill Sharon's best friend Grace Turner (Jennifer Gareis) tracks down the child Sharon gave birth to as a teenager (Cassie) and brings her to Genoa City, believing Cassie would lessen the pain if Noah died. Noah survives, and Grace decides to raise Cassie as her own; however, her plans are foiled when Nick and Sharon win custody. Nick had cheated on Sharon with Grace (which nearly ended his and Sharon's marriage), but the custody battle for Cassie reunited them.
In 2001, Matt (Rick Hearst) returns to town after plastic surgery with a false identity, Carter Mills. He rapes Sharon, and his true identity is revealed when he dies after driving off a cliff. Sharon becomes pregnant, with Matt possibly the father of her child. During an argument with Nick Sharon trips and falls, giving birth to a stillborn baby girl. After a paternity test, Nick is revealed to be the baby's father. Sharon finds solace with the Newman ranch's handyman Diego Guittierez (Greg Vaughan), who had been dating Nick's sister Victoria, and her infidelity results in a breakup with Nick. Nick later sees Sharon kissing Victor, which leaves Sharon humiliated and depressed. She leaves town and meets Cameron Kirsten; they begin an affair, and he brutally abuses her. Sharon returns to Genoa after her injuries heal, but is horrified when Cameron comes to town on business with Newman Enterprises. She briefly believes that she killed him, but he is later tracked down and jailed for his crimes. Sharon becomes restless as a housewife, and wants to become a stripper; Nick gives her a job at spokesperson for Jabot Cosmetics to occupy her. In 2005, Cassie dies in a car accident after driving without a license. While Sharon is grieving, Nick cheats on her with Phyllis Summers and Sharon has a one-night stand with Victoria's husband, Brad Carlton. Nick and Sharon divorce, after twelve years of marriage, when Phyllis becomes pregnant with Nick's baby.
Sharon dates Phyllis' ex, Jack Abbott, and they eventually marry. Phyllis discovers Sharon's affair with Brad, and blackmails her. During a cliffside photo shoot Phyllis threatens to tell Jack about the affair, triggering a fight. Sharon and her best friend Drucilla Winters (Victoria Rowell) fall from the cliff, and Drucilla dies. Sharon is found apparently dead, but she is revived. Nick is later presumed dead after his plane crashes; he returns with amnesia (thinking he is still married to Sharon), regains his memory and returns to Phyllis. Jack, Phyllis, Nick and Sharon develop a magazine, "Restless Style"; however, clashes among the four drive Jack and Sharon from the company. In October 2008, Sharon and Nick meet in Paris; they kiss on a bridge, and Phyllis sees them. Sharon divorces Jack because his dishonesty; she and Nick make love at the Abbott cabin. Confused, Sharon spirals out of control; she develops kleptomania and has a brief affair with Jack's brother, Billy (Billy Miller). Sharon becomes pregnant; Nick goes back and forth between her and Phyllis, choosing Phyllis when Sharon lies about Jack being the father of the child. After being arrested for larceny a second time, Sharon checks herself into Fairview sanitarium (a psychiatric hospital) when her kleptomania becomes uncontrollable. She gives birth to a baby girl, Faith, who is stolen by Adam Newman (Nick's brother) and given to Jack's sister Ashley (Eileen Davidson) after he caused her miscarriage and hysterical pregnancy. Believing her baby is dead, Sharon grows close to Adam (who bonds with her out of guilt). Sharon and Adam are married, but when the truth about Faith is revealed the marriage ends. Several months later, Sharon shoots Adam when he tries to visit her at the Abbott cabin (mistaking him for a burglar); he survives. Nick and Sharon briefly reunite, but break up again when she cheats on him with Adam (who follows her to New Orleans).
Adam is convicted for the murder of his ex-wife, Skye Newman (Laura Stone). Sharon tries to help him, but is arrested for murder after finding Skye in Hawaii (where Skye fell into a volcano). After escaping and returning (after several months of being thought dead), Sharon is acquitted. She then dedicates herself to Victor, who is in jail protecting Nikki from a murder charge. Victor marries Sharon platonically to protect his assets, although the marriage is annulled two weeks later. Adam is believed to be permanently blind after an attack by Patty Williams, and Sharon helps him recover. They reunite, but more of his past schemes are revealed. After another nervous breakdown and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (which made her remarry Victor and take over Newman Enterprises), Sharon is re-hired at Newman as vice president for research and development. Adam is shot saving Victor's life; before slipping into a coma he asks Sharon, his closest friend, to run Newman Enterprises. Sharon again becomes CEO of the company, angering the Newman's. She leaves the company upon Victor's return to run the company with Adam. Victor forces Adam, who is engaging in a sexual relationship with Sharon, to stop seeing her.
In 2013, it is revealed that the test conducted to determine Summer's paternity was inconclusive, which Nick kept a secret. Sharon, who now wants Nick back, tampers with the test results, allowing everyone to believe Jack is Summer's father. Phyllis hears Sharon confessing to this at Cassie's grave, resulting in an altercation between the two and ending with Phyllis falling down a flight of stairs, and into a coma. Noah discovers that Sharon is off her medication, attributing to her erratic behavior. Sharon realizes that she needs help, and soon begins taking new medication. She is hired by Jabot Cosmetics to mentor younger models. Sharon later undergoes electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to stop experiencing visions of Cassie; which in reality is a Cassie lookalike named Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) hired by Victor to haunt her. After the ECT, Sharon loses her memories of switching Summer's paternity results and witnessing Phyllis fall. By this point, Nick and Sharon have resumed their romantic relationship. After Victor's gaslighting of Sharon is exposed, Sharon becomes drawn to Mariah; inviting her to live with her family and having Nick hire her for a job at his club. Sharon throws Mariah out after realizing that Mariah has been trying to seduce Nick away from her. Simultaneously, Nick does some investigating and discovers that Mariah is Cassie's twin sister, and Sharon had no knowledge of giving birth to twins. Soon, Nick and Sharon are engaged; but their wedding is interrupted by a now awakened Phyllis (Gina Tognoni), who walks in and collapses. Later, Phyllis makes Sharon remember switching the test, and her engagement to Nick ends. A furious Nick sues Sharon for full custody of Faith and wins.
In 2015, Sharon is framed and arrested for the murders of Austin Travers (Matthew Atkinson) and Noah's fiancée Courtney Sloane (Kelli Goss), but acquitted due to lack of evidence. During this period, Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton) becomes her confidant and the two start a romantic relationship. Sharon becomes pregnant with Dylan's child but suffers a miscarriage, and attempts to conceive again rather than tell him. After skipping her medication once again, Sharon returns to Fairview for treatment. There, she is drugged by Dr. Anderson (Elizabeth Bogush) into experiencing a false pregnancy. Dr. Anderson kidnaps what was believed to be Nick's baby with Sage Newman (Kelly Sullivan), Christian, and presents him to Sharon as her own; Sharon names him Sullivan "Sully" McAvoy. After being discharged from Fairview, Sharon and Dylan get married. In 2016, following Dr. Anderson's murder, both Sharon and Sage discover the truth about Sully being Christian. After Sage is killed in a car accident, Sharon continues raising Christian as her own, telling nobody aside from Mariah the truth. Months later, her secret is exposed and Christian is returned to Nick's custody. Soon after, Dylan goes undercover and is forced into the federal witness protection program. In order to conceal this, Sharon agrees to tell everyone Dylan left as a result of her lies about Christian's identity.
Sharon resumes ownership of the coffeehouse Crimson Lights, which was left to her by Dylan, and decides to return to university