Stephanie Forrester is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Stephanie is known for her marriages to the famed fashion designer, Eric Forrester, and for her rivalries with Brooke Logan, who has been involved with Eric and her sons, Ridge and Thorne, and with competing designer Sally Spectra. Both of these rivals later became two of her closest friends. She has been portrayed since the show's inception in 1987 by Emmy-winning actress Susan Flannery. Stephanie's lung cancer diagnosis played a central role in the series, and the character died of the disease on November 26, 2012. Casting and creation The role of Stephanie was originally created for actress Susan Seaforth Hayes (who played Julie Olson Williams on Days of Our Lives) but, after Hayes turned it down, the producers contacted Hayes' former Days co-star, Susan Flannery, and she eventually won the role. Hayes did, however, appear in 2003 and 2005 as Joanna Manning, the mother of Lauren Fenmore. Jane Elliot was contacted by producer Gail Kobe for the role, but lost to Flannery at the request of creator William J. Bell. Stephanie has been played since the show's beginning in 1987 by Flannery, who has also directed some of the show's episodes. In September 2007, Flannery asked the show for a medical leave, as she had fibromyalgia. Flannery, along with John McCook as Eric Forrester, Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan and Ron Moss as Ridge Forrester were referred to as the "Core four", having been still present on the series since the show's beginning. However, on August 11, 2012, it was announced that after twenty-five years, Moss would be leaving the show, thus breaking up the core four, leaving only Flannery, Kelly Lang, and McCook as the sole remaining cast members from the show's inception. On October 10, 2012, it was announced that Flannery had made the decision to quit the show as well after twenty-five years. During a 2012 interview with TV Guide, Bradley Bell announced that Stephanie's character would be die of cancer. Bell said: "It is huge. And amazing. I knew this day was coming but I've been in denial about it. I've been loving and treasuring every one of these last few days we have with Susan." Flannery signed a contract that would allow the show to build a storyline surrounding her exit. Stephanie last