The Days Of Our Lives Star Who Was Once A Competitive Figure Skater

Actress Kristian Alfonso is best known for her role as Hope Williams Brady on "Days of Our Lives." The actress first stepped into the role back in 1983 (via Soap Central), and eventually became a fan-favorite, as well as part of one of soap's biggest super couples. Alfonso's character made her a household name with fans of daytime TV, and her pairing with Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) pushed her to the status of a soap icon.

Alfonso landed the role on "DOOL" after she was given a modeling contract and caught the eye of someone from NBC. The Boston native also starred opposite of Rock Hudson in "The Starmaker" before finally making her way to Salem, per Soap Opera Digest. However, growing up, Alfonso revealed that she never thought about becoming an actress and that she wasn't a very big fan of even watching television. Instead, she had dreams of becoming a professional athlete and going for gold at the Olympics.

According to TV Overmind, Kristian Alfonso never wanted to be an actress. Instead, she had a very different plan for her life. The "Days of Our Lives” star originally trained to be a competitive figure skater and was making a name for herself at a young age when she became a gold-medalist and a champion at the Junior Olympics. She was one of the best young figure skaters in the world until an accident tragically ended her skating career.

While she was just 13-years-old, Alfonso was involved in a tobogganing accident that left her with injuries that prohibited her from competing further and ended her chances of winning a medal at the Winter Olympics. "I never planned on any of this," Alfonso told Soap Opera Digest in 1984 of her acting career. "I was a competitive ice skater until I crushed my leg. Until four years ago I never even went to a movie!" she admitted.

Of course, "DOOL" fans are so glad that Alfonso took a chance with acting and gave them decades of fun and drama as Hope Williams Brady.