Former The Young and the Restless star Jessica Collins (ex-Avery Bailey Clark) was all smiles upon winning her very first Daytime Emmy last night, but will the big award translate to fans smiling about an upcoming return for the actress, who left the show in a controversial storyline last year?
Inquiring minds asked Collins that very question in the press room following her Emmy win, and it turns out fans probably shouldn't hold their breath.
"My mind is completely wrapped around motherhood at the moment, but I never say never to anything," the brand new mom says of her thoughts about heading back to the CBS soap. "I think eventually I'll return to work, because babies are expensive! [Laughs] But right now I'm just enjoying being with her. And I'm so grateful that I have this time to spend with her every day."
That being said, Collins quips that caring for a child trumps being a daytime actress when it comes to the amount of work that's involved. "Being a mom is so much harder," she says with a laugh. "I thought being on daytime was the hardest thing I'd ever done, learning all those lines, but I at least had time to sleep while I was doing that!"
And what about all that baby weight? The actress gave birth just thirteen weeks ago, yet she fit into her stunning Emmy gown like a runway model. "I'm breastfeeding, so I had to do it the right way. I couldn't do my regular wine and ice cubes diet!" she joked about getting back into shape. "I had to eat healthy and exercise. I've been doing that a lot, and Jemma's dad lets me run off to exercise for an hour a day, and I'm eating really well. But I had to be smart about it, because I've been breastfeeding, so I couldn't do anything crazy."
For more from Collins on her Outstanding Supporting Actress win, check out Soap Central's full 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards coverage here.
If you think winning an Emmy would make for the best week ever -- Collins also had another HUGE life-changing experience this week. Click here for the even more amazing news.
Would you love to see Collins return to Y&R in the future? What do you think about her taking home the Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
