Nancy Wesley

Darbo was hired by Days of our Lives in May 1998. The serial's casting director, Fran Bascom told Carol Bidwell of Los Angeles Daily News that their producer, Tom Langan wanted "a real woman, not one of these super-skinny actresses" to join the cast. Darbo told of Lilana Novakovich of The Record that when Bascom asked her to join the cast, she thought it would be a small role involving food. Darbo worried that producers were not familiar with her and expected someone to say "Oh, my God, you're not who we thought you were. Thank you for coming." In 2003 it was announced that the Wesley family were being written out of the series. Darbo returned to filming for scenes that aired in 2004 and 2005. Darbo has said "was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. It was also the hardest work I’ve ever done." On November 16, 2012, it was announced that Darbo would be returning to Days of our Lives after a seven year absence. As a result of the show's production being far ahead, she will reappear in 2013. She returned on March 5, 2013, and vacated the role a month later on April 10, 2013. On October 11, 2024, it was announced Darbo would again reprise the role when Nancy returned on October 22, and departed again two days later. ==Character development==

Characterization Darbo told Mark Edward Wilows of the Post-Tribune that she was enjoying playing Nancy as daytime roles are challenging. She felt that she was a role model playing Nancy, showing that weight does not matter. Darbo stated that she would never play a character that would make a mockery of weight issues. She was "glad" that Nancy broke the stereotype associated with overweight roles. Darbo enjoyed working alongside Spirtas and stated that "I couldn't have asked for a better leading man". Their characters have "one of those marriages" where there is mutual love, but she is fine with him flirting with others. Darbo added that Craig treats Nancy "like a queen 'cause her daddy has the money', but there is an attraction between them." In 2002, food franchisor Mrs. Fields teamed up with Days of our Lives and charity Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to host a cookie bake off. Nancy was "devastated" when she discovers that Chloe's biological father cannot provide his bone marrow. It was later revealed that Nancy and Craig would have another child to provide a lifesaving bone marrow transplant for Chloe. Bjorlin told Novakovich that she bonded well with Darbo and Spirtas and they gave her advice on her acting. Return Darbo returned to the role, with her onscreen return being sometime in early 2013. The actress, who was welcomed back on set, said that Nancy is "going to be supporting her daughter; whether she’s right or whether she’s gone. Family takes care of family." Of working with Bjorlin again, Darbo said they "just fell right back into it." When asked if Nancy would be different this time around or "the same conniving woman she always was", Darbo said "The bitch is back. Do not mess with mine. Don’t mess with anybody who belongs to me." Additionally, she explained "Nancy’s not a runner. Nancy sort of just saunters in, looks around, and makes a plan. She’s like the queen of the spiders. She sits in the middle of her web, weaving and weaving." ==Storylines==

Nancy arrives as the head volunteer at University Hospital and keeps a watch over her husband and colleague Craig. Nancy plots to remove Mike from his role at the hospital so Craig can take his place. She befriends a nurse named Ali McIntyre (Lisa Linde) to help with her scheming. Nancy is later diagnosed with breast cancer. Mikes surprises Nancy by offering her support and they warm to each other. When she recovers Nancy decides to restart her plotting and convinces Ali to file a sexual harassment case about Mike. He ends up resigning in the midst of the scandal and leaves Salem. Upon his return, Mike is asked to resume his role at the hospital, but he chooses to marry Carrie instead. As a result Craig wins the job. Nancy receives a telephone call and leaves with $25,000. Nancy had once mothered a child and gave her up for adoption. Nancy uses the money in an attempt to bribe a member of staff at the orphanage to keep her daughter there. However, Nancy meets with Chloe and invites her to come and live in Salem. Nancy and Chloe decide to hide the truth from Craig, who does not like the idea of adoption. Chloe feels rejected and runs away, Nancy tries to follow her but is knocked over by a truck. Chloe visits Nancy in hospital and decides to settle in Salem with her mother. Nancy finds it hard to adapt to motherhood and faces difficulties in concealing the truth from Craig. Nancy's father, Albert Miller arrives and makes the situation worse. Albert discovers the truth and attempts to get Chloe to move away with him. Nancy then tells Craig the truth, which causes problems in their relationship. Craig is later revealed as Chloe's biological father. She was at Chloe's whenever she sick with leukemia and recovering from an accident that scarred her face for awhile. However, in 2022, Nancy discovered that Craig was having an affair, but with a man. He came out as gay and a devastated Nancy divorced him. She began dating Clyde Weston until she learned on their wedding day that he was responsible for Abigail Deveraux's death. She and Craig made peace with their relationship and allowed each other to find someone that loved them as much as they once did. She later runs into Mike Horton, and after making peace with him as well, they begin a relationship as of November 28, 2022, according to Jack Deveraux. ==Reception==

For her portrayal of Nancy, Darbo was awarded "Outstanding female newcomer" at the 15th annual Soap Opera Digest Awards. In 2000, Darbo was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In 2003, Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times said that daytime television had long been celebrating larger-size females. She added that the most notable was the "chubby temptress" Nancy. Seli Groves of The Beaver County Times said that she enjoyed the "marvellous machinations" that Nancy and Craig carried out. Darbo received positive fan mail due to her weight. Larger women and teenage girls praised her role because they would switch the television on and feel as though "there is a place for me". Darbo told ''The Record's Novakovich that she had never seen herself as a person "who was carrying a flag or banner, but the fan mail is incredible". A columnist from TV Guide named her as the "big bad mama of daytime television". William White writing for Library Journal'' said that Nancy was a "full-figured and sensual" character. ==References==