Beth Chamberlin has never really been a "roll with the punches" type of gal. Her beleaguered character, Beth Raines, has been through just about every torment known to soapdom, and yet Chamberlin still manages not only seek out new ways to bring excitement to the role, but her enthusiasm for the show she has called home for many years always shines through. With the return of Phillip Spaulding, Beth's one true love, things are only going to get better, both for Beth and for GL, and for Chamberlin, new challenges.

Chamberlin is fairly jumping for joy over the return of Phillip and his portrayer, Grant Aleksander, not only for herself but for fans of the show that have admittedly grown disillusioned over the years. "It's really good, I mean it's really a good story, and I'm not saying that at all to give myself a pat on the back, I'm really saying it to give the writers a pat on the back," Chamberlin gushes, "They have plain and simply written a terrific story, it's just really good storytelling, and all of us that involved in it are trying to figure out how we can do it justice and tell the story as well as it deserves to be told." The story in question, of course, is Phillip's arrival in Springfield and how it will rock the residents, most of all, Beth.

Chamberlin sets the stage by explaining Beth's attraction to Coop (John Driscoll), and how Phillip has inadvertently played a part in it. "I think how it works for them (Beth and Coop) is, even though he is at that age, and of course, she is much older, in some ways, since she has gone back to law school, some of their interests are actually common," the actress notes, "She is starting a new life and he is at that age where you are just starting a new life. In many ways, Coop is very much like Phillip was. He is a writer who is supportive of Beth and makes her feel confidence in herself, he is almost poetic in the way he speaks to her at times, and it's very Phillip-like, and I think. Obviously Beth will never be over loving Phillip, and someone comes along who is so much like Phillip, she is bound to fall in love with him."

"She is offended when people bring it up to her that she is trying to replace Phillip," Chamberlin goes on to add, "Because the last thing she wants to think in her own mind is that is what she's trying to do. She wants to believe that she's over Phillip and that she's moved on, and she hasn't, of course!" Driscoll will soon be departing Springfield and Chamberlin sadly states, "Beth Chamberlin as well as Beth Raines are completely heartbroken. I adore him and I think that with the story that they gave him, he really got a chance to show different colors that he hadn't had the chance to show before, and I really feel like he really took the ball and he ran with it. I think he was tremendous in this whole story. I adore him and I adored the work he did and I just had great, great fun working with him."

Ironically, it is Coop who proves to be the catalyst for the events that are to come. Beth is first forced to wed Alan Spaulding, thanks to the time-honored tradition called blackmail - and the fact that Alan reacts harshly to Beth and Coop's affair. "It is really dramatic, Alan is so awful with the stuff that he does," Chamberlin previews, "It's really old-time Alan. He is in his prime in this, he is just awful. (But) he's really doing what he's doing out of pain. He really loved Beth and here's a man that does not allow himself to be vulnerable to anyone, and by loving Beth, he has allowed himself to be vulnerable. And what Beth did, by betraying him, was she really stepped on his heart and crushed it. It's Alan, almost like a wounded beast in a way, and he's doing these terrible things out of pain."

Rushing to stop the wedding, Coop ends up being in a car crash and is rescued by Phillip, who then nonchalantly walks into the church and halts the nuptials with the news that Coop has been in an accident. "Phillip arrives at the church in the nick of time, or maybe not. It depends on your point of view as to whether it's good timing or not....Keep watching in the next few weeks and you will be really satisfied with your show! It's just really good storytelling that the writers have put together and I think it's the kind of thing where people won't want to miss a single episode."

In addition to the writing that Chamberlin can't stop raving about, is the prospect of finding new ways to define the character of Beth, and how she reacts to other characters, like Phillip. "She will always love Phillip," Chamberlin observes, "But I think there would be a big part of her that would be afraid of being involved with Phillip again. She may think to herself, 'I might fall right back into letting him take care of me and I'm the damsel in distress, and I don't want to be that person. I want to be this person that is independent, that can take care of my own life. I want to continue being that person. I love him and I'm attracted to him but I'm afraid of being with him.' It's not being afraid of what he would do but being afraid of what she would do. I think it's an interesting place for her to be at with him." Needless to say, she is thrilled to have Aleksander back on the show and back in her storyline. "When you've known someone as long as Grant and I have known one another and also played as many stories as he and I have played together, there's lots of layers of stuff that's there that you're not even thinking about playing. It's just there because you've played so many stories together. It's also one of the things that makes it fun to play and fun to discover where these characters are at and how they interact. It's fun!"

And in case you haven't noticed how fabulous Chamberlin is looking these days, its all thanks to a new exercise regime she took to almost immediately. The program combines strength training and cardio using a device called a kettle bell. Amazed at the almost immediate results, Chamberlin contacted the talented instructor behind this effective regime, and became an enthusiastic advocate for the kettle bell workout. It was actually Chamberlin's husband who discovered it first, but she quickly became a follower, after some initial skepticism. "He started doing this workout and this is going to sound crazy, but I literally watched his body change after a month of doing this. So that made me have to bite my tongue and also eat crow, and make me go to my husband and say, 'So maybe I want to order a kettle bell, what size should I order?' So I started doing the workout and I literally had a different body, six weeks from when I started. And I was like, oh my God, this is the best thing ever!"

Chamberlin contacted the program's creator, Anthony Diluglio, and offered to participate in the instructional DVD's. "I told him, 'I think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I want to do a DVD that women will buy, and with the tutorials so people will know how to do it correctly, and I'll pay for it because I really believe in it.' So we did one and it's been really gratifying and a great success because you get emails everyday saying, 'Oh my God, this has changed my life,' and it's great because it's exactly what I wanted it to be. So we did another DVD that was a more intermediate one. The first one is really for all levels, anyone can pick that up and start doing it, and the second one is more for people who have done Volume One. I wanted a more intermediate one to help people get to the next level."

The best part about the kettle bells, Chamberlin points out, is that most everyone can do it, including people with chronic injuries and even illnesses. "It's not only something that people with injuries can do, but it's used as a rehab tool, and will help strengthen the areas around that injury and you won't have the problems that you've had before" she says, "I think kettle bell training is really the holy grail of fitness." And it couldn't have come at a better time. The former runner was plagued by constant knee pain and soon running lost it's enjoyment and became a chore. "I use to run to maintain my weight, because I can not diet. I'm a "foodie!" I like to eat and if you tell me I can't eat something, I'm going to go out and eat a carton of it. I was having problems with my knee, and going every day and it just took up too much time. So now, I see people running and I think, what an incredible waste of time! I have a three-year old, so it's all about what is a waste of time and what's not!" Since beginning the workout, Chamberlin says her knee troubles have disappeared and adds that the workout can be adjusted for those with other limitations (such as a respiratory issue) and still be effective. "It is cardiovascular, so use your own judgment and your own knowledge of how you've been able to exercise and do cardio in the past. You can sort of tailor it to where you're at in your conditioning. Just work toward building up!"

Looks like this busy actress and mom has plenty to smile about. For her fans, and the fans of the show, Chamberlin encourages viewers to tune in. "I can just say that this is really good story and if you are a Guiding Light fan, you just can't miss what these writers have put together. Just real classic Guiding Light stuff! I can't even tell you when I've seen stories that are as good as the story you're going to see coming up. It's a very positive attitude around here, people are really psyched about the story!"

By: Dawn
Photos courtesy of  JPI-Studios and CBS