Exclusive interview: Days of our Lives Deidre Hall talks about Marlena's future, 'You can't replace John'

Days of our Lives character Dr. Marlena Evans, played by Deidre Hall, is at a crossroads in her life, as she's facing a mysterious medical malady. For years, Marlena and her husband, John, the late great Drake Hogestyn, faced all kinds of conflicts -- and they had always triumphed.

Now, Marlena is facing life alone without John. Could she ever find someone else with whom she could share her life and slay some dragons, as John is irreplaceable? Hall chatted with Soap Central about Marlena's future.

Days of our Lives, love story

"It's a hard one," Hall says. "You can't replace John. You can't replace that love story."

Marlena has had a few husbands since she arrived on the Salem scene in 1976. First, she was wed to Don Craig (Jed Allan), but their marriage didn't survive the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) passing of their son, D.J., and Don's affair with Liz Craig (Gloria Loring).

Next, Marlena met and fell in love with Roman Brady (Wayne Northrup; now, Josh Taylor), who protected her from a serial killer, and later, Stefano DiMera (Joe Mascolo). After Roman was presumed dead, John entered the scene, thinking he was Roman.

Marlena wed him, but after Roman came back into her life about six years later, Marlena left John and returned to him. But John and Marlena's passion could not be denied. She and John had an affair, which produced Belle (Martha Madison). After many travails, they were married in 1999, and then many times after that.

Viewers learned that Marlena had been married to a man named Alex North (played by Northrup), which actually invalidated some of her unions.

The future is unwritten

Earlier this year, John succumbed to injuries he sustained in a mission to save Bo (Peter Reckell). Marlena's been in mourning ever since. It's a bit of a quandary as viewers want Marlena to be happy, but many or most can't imagine her with anyone other than John.

"Ken [Corday, executive producer] and the writers are quite aware of that," Hall says of John being irreplaceable. "No one wants to push her into a new person."

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While viewers wait to see in which direction Marlena will go (first, she needs to get her health in order!), we see her in other parts of her life, including her family and "her medical practice, we see her work with her patients. She still has a life."

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock, NBC's streaming service

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