Ava Peralta

Ava Peralta is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. She was played by Michelle Ray Smith from August 24, 2005 to July 27, 2008, reprising her role briefly in December 2008 and July 2009.

Character's background

Ava was the product of rape. While at a party, her mother, the underaged Olivia Spencer was ended up having sex with her father, Jeffrey O'Neill (before he had plastic surgery to look like the late Richard Winslow—a man Olivia would later fall in love with) who then left soon afterwards, statutory raping her. Olivia found out she was pregnant and her mother refused to let her have an abortion. During a vicious fight, Rebecca Spencer died of a massive stroke and Olivia felt guilty. She gave her baby up for adoption and she was adopted by the Suttons, John and Donna. They named her Ava and when she was young, her adoptive parents divorced and her mother remarried a man with the surname Peralta which Ava took.

When Ava first came to town, she found a job working as a bartender at Jonathan Randall's bar, Outskirts. She later began working at Company and CO2 for the Coopers. She is currently working for the C.E.O of Spaulding Enterprises, Alan-Michael Spaulding.

Ava and her boyfriend Coop's relationship was at first complicated by Coop's ex-girlfriend Lizzie Spaulding, who claimed that her unborn child was Coop's and tricked him into almost marrying her.

After the two enjoyed a brief period of happiness, Ava began to push him away as she learned that she was adopted. She also found out she was the child of two people she already knew in Springfield, Olivia Spencer and Jeffrey O'Neill. Coop also began making decisions for her, specifically about what she should know and what he felt he could handle. Ava took a job working for Alan-Michael which Coop also did not approve of, at least partly due to Alan Michael's apparent interest in Ava.

Ava took the job anyway, and Alan-Michael has been trying to come between Coop and Ava ever since. However, it seems to be Coops own controlling behavior that led Ava to call it quits. Their split is tentative, with Ava telling Coop that she needs more "space" but it certainly opens the door further for Alan-Michael.

Ava is the biological daughter of Olivia Spencer and Jeffrey O'Neill and the biological sister of Emma Spaulding and Colin O'Neill. Was adopted by the Sutton family. Ava's adoptive mother Donna and father John Sutton separated. Ava's adoptive mother Donna remarried a man named Paul and took her stepfathers last name Peralta. Her adoptive mother Donna and stepfather Paul are both deceased. Olivia located her adoptive father John Sutton only to discover he was dying and only had a few months to live.

In early 2007, however, Alan Michael left town and Ava soon set her sights back on Coop, who had begun a relationship with Ashlee Wolfe. Despite her efforts to win him back throughout 2007, Coop remained loyal to Ashlee, and Ava, frustrated, gave up on him altogether in 2008, when she began a courtship with Bill Lewis. Ava and Bill hit it off with a few rolls in the hay, but when Bill confessed his love for Lizzie to Ava, she felt rejected.

As Olivia became diagnosed with a heart condition, Ava became close with her sister, Emma. Fearing that her mother would not be around to raise Emma, Ava decided she wanted a baby of her own, to raise alongside Emma once Olivia had died. Her plans for the baby started in March 2008, when Ava comforted Bill after an argument he had with Lizzie. The two of them ended up in bed, where Ava pierced holes in his condom to conceive a child with him.

As weeks passed, Ava was distraught to know that her plan had failed, but she had backup plans. Ava was later artificially inseminated and decided to pass the baby off as Bills. Although she was committed to starting a life with Bill, Ava began falling in love with Remy Boudreau, and, enjoying feeling carefree and open with him, made love to him in the Spaulding Mansion, where she and Bill had moved when Dinah Marler stole the property from Alan.

Ava's plan had worked. Bill cut things off with Lizzie to start a family with Ava, although Lizzie saw through to Bill's plan, which was to throw Ava in front of the cameras as a "trophy wife". Ava's feelings for Remy grew stronger and stronger, but Remy was heartbroken when Ava and Bill announced they were engaged. Not giving up, however, Remy persisted in proving to Ava that she was meant to be with him, but Ava, knowing it was true, still couldn't accept it as she feared Remy would not be able to offer her the security that Bill could. Despite the obstacles, Ava and Bill wed in the summer.

On July 24, 2008, Ava gave birth to Maximus "Max" Lewis. Since he was born prematurely, the doctors quickly whisked him away without Bill or Remy getting the chance to see him. Ava's plot came to a disastrous end when Bill set his sights upon "his" newborn son—who happened to be an African-American. Ava's artificial insemination was unsuccessful, and her one night stand with Remy Boudreau resulted in her pregnancy. Remy and Bill put significant pressure on Ava regarding who she should raise the baby with, and as the Lewis' and Boudreau's squabbled, Ava developed a case of postpartum depression.

Jeffrey, Ava's father, saw the way she looked at Remy, and knew that he was the one Ava truly loved. Although Bill's name was on the birth certificate, Jeffrey had put security guards outside of Max's room to prevent Remy and Bill from seeing him, although Jeffrey agreed to help Remy see Max.

Ava's mental state continued to deteriorate, and Jeffrey's then girlfriend Reva Shayne (who had battled postpartum depression), saw Ava and realized she had the same symptoms. Reva convinced Jeffrey to get Ava help and he whisked her away to a health clinic in Chicago. Soon after Ava's arrival in Chicago, however, Max lost his battle to a serious fever, leaving the Boudreau's in shock, and Bill Lewis in a fit of rage. Ava has not been seen on-screen since, although she has been frequently visited off-screen by Remy, Olivia, and Jeffrey.

Michelle Ray Smith returned briefly as Ava Peralta in December 2008, during which Ava attempted to salvage her relationship with Remy, who was now married to Christina Moore. Ava, after giving her blessing to Remy, moved to San Francisco.

Ava also returned briefly in July 2009, for her father's funeral. During her time in town reconnect her Remy, met her half-brother Colin O'Neill and learn of mother's relationship with Natalia Rivera.