Classic Soap Relationship Timeline: Guiding Light's Josh And Reva
Many soap fans no doubt remember the lasting legacy that "Guiding Light" left on the world of daytime soap operas. As the longest-running soap opera ever, with a combined 72 years on radio and television, it certainly made a mark on people's lives. It even launched the careers of some of Hollywood's brightest stars, serving as the classic soap where Kevin Bacon got his start and starting the transformation of Hayden Panettiere from unknown child actor to a leading lady.
Part of its appeal to viewers was its ability to deliver crazy, over-the-top storylines that had real heart underneath it all. Two of the characters who were able to do just that were Reva O'Neill (Kim Zimmer) and Josh Lewis (Robert Newman). As one of the most beloved couples on "Guiding Light," Josh and Reva showed fans what it means to never give up on someone. Throughout their time on the soap, they broke up and made up so many times, only to realize that they were meant to be all along. Sounds like the perfect formula for a soap opera super-couple.
Reva and Josh were childhood sweethearts
Reva and Josh met as kids, since her mother worked as the Lewis family housekeeper. She and Josh fell in love when they were teenagers, but their relationship didn't survive when he left for college. Instead of dwelling on her heartbreak, Reva rebounded and married Josh's brother Billy (Jordan Clarke). After her relationship with Billy ended eight years later, Josh and Reva reunited after partnering for a business venture. They got engaged but broke up again when he found out that she was cooperating with their rival business. Determined to cause trouble, Josh's father convinced Reva to marry him.
Josh was upset by the relationship, and even more so when he accused Reva of flirting with another man. She was so offended by his accusation that she declared herself "the slut of Springfield," alienating herself before he could do it for her. Despite the hurt they had caused each other, they slept together again, but they were found by Josh's dad and Reva fled. Josh brought Reva back to Springfield only to find out that she was pregnant with his father's child; devastated, Josh left Springfield for the Gulf of Mexico.
Sadly, Reva lost the child, and Josh warmed towards her slightly when she was hit by a car and he took her to the hospital. He proposed soon after, and Reva accepted. During their engagement, Reva had their first child, a daughter named Marah.
Josh and Reva moved on, but ended up back together
Their happiness didn't last long. Marah's birth records were changed, leading Josh to think he wasn't her father. They broke up, and Reva rebounded with Alan (Ron Raines). Alan discovered that Marah's birth records had been tampered with, but he didn't tell Reva. Josh rebounded with Sonni Carrera (Michelle Forbes), but Reva found out that Sonni was having an affair with Will Jeffries (Joseph Breen). When Will suddenly disappeared from Springfield, Reva and Josh investigated the mystery together, suspecting that Sonni had tried to murder Will. Feeling cornered, Sonni framed Josh for Will's attempted murder; he was arrested, but Reva secured Will's confession that incriminated Sonni. After Josh was released, he and Reva reunited and he learned that he was Marah's father.
Josh and Reva married at Cross Creek, but Reva was hiding something from Josh: she had given up her son for adoption as a teenager. Worse still, Josh's brother, Billy, was the baby's father. Matters were made more complicated by the fact that Reva was pregnant again. She gave birth to their son, but Josh discovered that she had lied about her previous son. Reva was diagnosed with postpartum depression and Josh tried to lift her spirits, despite his hurt. They went on a family vacation, but Reva continued to struggle with her mental health and drove off a bridge into the water; she was presumed dead.
Annie complicated matters for Reva
Reva woke up alive in a town called Goshen and adopted the name Rebecca since she had lost her memories. She came across Alan and remembered flashes of her life with Josh, but Alan tried to convince her that Josh was evil. Eventually, she regained her memory and returned to Springfield, where she was confronted with an angry Josh. He was upset that she had regained her memory a while before but hadn't contacted him or her kids. A restraining order was filed against her so that she couldn't see her kids. After a while, Josh remembered his feelings for Reva and they kissed; he wanted to give their relationship another try, but she refused, marrying Buzz Cooper (Justin Deas) instead. Josh moved on with Annie Dutton (Cynthia Watros).
However, their love was too strong; after denying their feelings for so long, Josh and Reva reunited again. Annie was jealous at their reunion and took her revenge by deliberately falling down a flight of stairs and claiming Reba had pushed her, causing her to miscarry her baby. In reality, she had miscarried days before. When it was discovered what Annie had done, Josh broke up with her and got back together with Reva.
Annie wasn't done with Reva; she orchestrated Reva's plane crash that led everyone to believe she was dead. Again, Reva was actually alive and found on an island, but she escaped back to Springfield only to find a disturbing turn of events: she had been cloned.
A tale of two Revas
Reva's clone trapped her, and Josh, assuming Reva was dead, planned to marry the clone. Soon enough, the clone started to feel guilty for her actions and Josh figured out Reva was alive. He rescued the real Reva, who had a soft spot for the clone and renamed her Dolly. Dolly took too much of the aging serum used on her and died, leaving Josh and Reva to move on. Annie tried to brainwash Josh into leaving Reva, but they figured out what she did and Reva and Josh got married at the Country Club.
Reva found out that she'd had a son during the time she'd been missing from Springfield, but had forgotten about the experience due to her amnesia. Josh wanted to support her as she searched for her son but felt like they were drifting apart; they broke up and he moved on with Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell). In an attempt to break them up, Marah (then Lindsey McKeon) and Reva interrupted Josh and Olivia's wedding. It worked; Reva and Josh reconciled and married at Cross Creek again.
Their marriage hit a rough patch when Josh accidentally injured their son in a car crash. Reva couldn't forgive him, and received backlash from her family for not supporting him. Things got worse when Josh moved out after Reva flirted with another man. They got back together after Josh saved Reva from a car crash. It was whiplash again when they divorced soon after but tore the papers up that night.
Josh and Reva got their happy ending
Reva was diagnosed with breast cancer but hid it from Josh; he felt like she was lying to him about something, so they divorced and he moved on with Cassie Layne (Nicole Forester). Reva wanted her life to end on her own terms but delayed her suicide when Billy started drinking again. Finally, Josh learned the truth right before Reva died. She came back to life and thankfully, the treatment was working. They couldn't salvage their relationship though, and despite some indiscretions, they stayed apart for a long time.
Reva's father Hawk (Gil Rogers) made a movie about Josh and Reva's love story, but he deliberately changed the ending so that they ended up together. Even though it inspired a kiss between the two, they didn't reconcile. Reva moved on with Jeffrey O'Neill (Bradley Cole) while Josh left town. Reva was in for a surprise when she discovered she was pregnant, and then diagnosed with leukemia. Thankfully she delivered the child and took to the treatment, progressively getting better.
Reva was hit with another blow when Jeffrey died, but Josh was there to support her. He tried to win her back, but she wasn't ready after Jeffrey's death. They planned to meet in Springfield the next year if both of them were ready to be together. In a year, they both met and rode off into the sunset, happy to finally be together after all that time. They finally got their happily-ever-after.