DAYS's Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) Opens Up About Widowhood

Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

In a candid new interview with TV Insider , Days of Our Lives ’s Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) opened up about her final scenes with reel- and real-life love Bill Hayes (Doug Williams), which aired on July 11.

The poignant scenes were shot in December, just four weeks before Hayes — who was still working despite having lost his eyesight, Seaforth Hayes revealed — passed away on January 12, 2024, at the age of 98. Seaforth Hayes shared that at the time, she suspected this would be her husband’s last day on set, and noted, “I was allowed to add some lines to the scene, between ourselves. The last line I wrote for Billy was, ‘Give me another kiss.’ ”

The actress said she felt “magnificently supported” by the way friends, family and fans celebrated her husband’s remarkable life upon his passing. Still, she admitted to finding the transition from wife to widow “very lonely.”

She is, of course, immensely grateful for the many happy years she shared with Hayes, who she married on October 12, 1974, two years before their characters first tied the knot on screen, and noted that between her affection-filled upbringing (her late mother, Elizabeth Harrower, was once DAYS’s head writer) and her loving relationship with her spouse, “I realized after [Hayes] was gone that I had been loved in a straight line all my life … 80 years of being loved significantly. The support of knowing that somebody cares was terrific. I see the lives of so many people that have never had that, not even for a minute anywhere, and it makes a difference.”

As she navigates life without her partner, Seaforth Hayes expressed that staying busy with her duties at DAYS has been a lifeline. “The show has kept me alive,” she declared.

For a look back at Doug and Julie’s love story in photos, click here ; to read Seaforth Hayes's eulogy to her husband at his memorial service, click here .