Ooh, She Does Like A Nice White Frock! The Most Wed Women in Soap (Part ii)

This is a little later than we'd originally planned but we hope this post is well worth the wait! The boys have already had their go, and now it's the turn of the girls: part two of our post which looks at the ladies of soap for whom the bulk of their wardrobe is probably made up of wedding attire!

3. Pat Butcher (EastEnders)

When Pat Wicks first showed up on the Square back in 1986, she already had two ex husbands under her belt. Life in Walford would see her marry twice more. After her very dramatic arrival in Albert Square, it was clear to see that her first husband, Pete Beale, and his family absolutely loathed Pat. True, Pat and Pete's marriage had been nothing short of disastrous. The marriage did produce son David (no, that wasn't the disastrous bit, although Ian Beale might beg to differ!) although that didn't stop Pat from having affairs including with Pete's own brother, Kenny. And when it was discovered years later that their youngest son Simon was actually fathered by the man who went on to become Pat's second husband, Brian Wicks, Pete quite understandably, wanted to cut short Pat's life! But oddly enough, after years of detesting each other, Pete and Pat gradually turned a corner and stopped the hatred, with Pat even going on to become besties with her one time enemy, the second Mrs. Pete Beale, Kathy.

Pat stirring up trouble for Pete and Kathy as Simon and Angie look on. (YouTube)

Marriage to Brian was hardly made in heaven either. An unstable man who physically abused Pat and her sons for years, Brian remained a thorn in Pat's side, always trying to get money out of her, even after they'd split. It was only when she was reunited with her long-time love Frank Butcher, that Pat was able to get rid of Brian once and for all after he blackmailed her into giving him a car in exchange for a divorce. Despite Brian being the least known of all of Pat's husband's, having appeared on screen less than a handful of times, he has ironically been connected to many of the Square's residents over the years up to present day, including Simon; his late grandson Steven Beale; step-granddaughter Bianca, and even the Carters are distant former relatives due to Shirley Carter being the ex-wife of Brian's nephew. So the ghost of Brian Wicks has always loomed over the Square!

But it was Pat's third husband, lovable rogue Frank Butcher, who was the one true love of her life. The couple met when Pat was sixteen and it was love at first sight for the couple, who then went on to have a secret relationship with Frank intent on leaving his fiancée, June. But when June revealed she was pregnant, Frank felt he had to do the right thing in marrying her with the couple going on to have four children including the infamous Janine. But Frank and Pat continued to have an on-off relationship for years until June's death when the couple were finally free to be together and went on to marry, also taking over from Den and Angie Watts as the new landlord and landlady of The Queen Vic. The couple ran other businesses but money problems occurred, which led to Phil Mitchell and Frank torching the car lot as part of an insurance scam. Sadly a young homeless man was killed in the blaze which sent Frank over the edge. He walked out of the Square and was missing for a couple of years, forcing Pat to move on without the love of her life.

Peggy Butcher about to award 'prizes' to her cheating husband Frank and his ex, Pat! (YouTube)

And move on she did with husband number four, dependable, trustworthy car dealer Roy Evans, - quite possibly the only man who truly loved Pat. Their relationship initially got off to a very bumpy start as Pat wasn't over Frank and it took her a while to trust Roy. But he proved to be a kind and considerate man as well as a good father figure to Frank's children Ricky and Janine. Eventually Roy moved in with Pat and the relationship seemed rock solid. Even when Frank reappeared and made it clear he wanted Pat back, she still chose Roy and she went on to become Mrs. Evans.

But the heart wants what the heart wants and Pat never really did get over Frank, with both of them cheating on their respective spouses, Roy and Peggy. As distraught as he was, Roy eventually took Pat back after realizing that he couldn't live without her. But it was the later discovery that Pat knew about the affair between Ricky and Roy's daughter-in-law,Natalie, that was a betrayal too far for Roy and he tragically suffered a heart attack and died. And it was when Pat was on her own deathbed that she revealed to Janine that her biggest regret was getting wed four times. The only person she should have married and stayed married to was Janine's dad and the only love of Pat's life, that lovable rogue Frank.

4. Denise Fox (EastEnders)

When Denise Fox turned up in Albert Square and clapped eyes on dad-of-three Kevin Wicks - Pat Butcher's nephew - it was hate at first sight! Denise was already divorced from her first husband, Owen Turner, a violent alcoholic and father of her youngest daughter, Libby. But somehow 'hate' turned to love with Kevin and Denise with the pair going on to marry in 2007. The marriage was a happy one despite their constant run-ins with Kevin's brash ex-wife, the now-formidable Shirley Carter (and Denise gaining Dean Wicks as a stepson!) but the marriage was sadly short-lived as Kevin was killed in a car crash on New Year's Eve - mere months after their wedding.

Enter husband number three - Lucas Johnson: Denise's ex-partner, the father of her eldest child, Chelsea, and the man who would go on to become one of the most notorious Walford residents of all time. He definitely made the soon-to-appear Owen look like a saint! Lucas was a former drug addict who walked out on Denise and Chelsea soon after his daughter was born. But in the intervening years, Lucas managed to turn his life around and leave his past behind him, going on to become a dedicated father to his son Jordan; a church minister and a respectable pillar of the community. It took Denise a while to warm to him and she was angry with Chelsea for bringing Lucas back into their lives as she had a hard time forgiving him. But once Denise saw that Lucas was a changed man, the two got closer, going on to rekindle their relationship and marry in 2009.

Big mistake, Denise!

While Lucas's attempts to stay on the straight and narrow were genuine, seeking a divorce from his estranged wife, Trina, set of a catastrophic chain of events starting with him accidentally killing Trina. In the process of concealing his crime, Lucas went on to murder Denise's first husband Owen when he proved to be an obstacle for the couple; a dog attempting to dig up Trina's body, and a sex worker whose body he later identified as Denise in order to convince her family and friends that she had taken her own life - when in reality, Denise had been kidnapped by Lucas and was being held captive after he had confessed all to her. He remained in prison but was there for Denise in her hour of need recently when she suffered a breakdown - ironically due to her part in the murder of Keanu Taylor!

Following a doomed engagement to Ian Beale (yeah, we don't know why either!) and a fling with Phil Mitchell which resulted in the birth of their son Raymond, Denise went on to marry her fourth husband, Jack Branning in 2021 in a double wedding alongside her daughter Chelsea who married the psychotic Gray Atkins - a man who could very well have been mentored by Lucas! Despite only having been married three years, Jack and Denise have already had more ups and downs than a pancake tossed on Shrove Tuesday but so far they seem to be sticking it out.

5. Alexis Colby (Dynasty)

If ever there was a character who knew her way around the altar, it was Alexis Colby, the unstoppable queen bee of Dynasty. Played by the inimitable Joan Collins, Alexis didn't just step into the soap -set in Denver that revolved around the Carrington family - but she also set the stage for some of the most iconic plotlines in soap opera history. From the cliffhanger at the end of series one where Alexis made her dramatic first appearance at the trial for ex-husband, Blake Carrington who was accused of murder, to literally triggering the accident that caused Blake's second wife , Krystal, to miscarry, to the revelation of a secret daughter, Amanda. And that's before we even get to Alexis's marital sagas! Over the years, Alexis’s four marriages weren’t just a sequence of romantic commitments. They were also powerful, high-stakes strategies in her quest for power, vengeance, and, sometimes, just sometimes, even love.

Husband number one was Blake Carrington, an oil tycoon and head of Denver-Carrington, and arguably the most powerful of all her husbands. Their marriage had long been over - thanks to Alexis's infidelity - by the time she returned to Denver, but the ghost of Alexis Morell Carrington (as she was then known) had always been simmering away in the background. No doubt setting the scene for her grand arrival! Blake and Alexis's feud sparked the legendary battles and rivalries that were central to many of Dynasty's storylines.

Krystal and Alexis coming to blows - again!

Despite Blake’s new marriage to Krystle and having a daughter with her, the four children he had with Alexis was a tie that could never be severed, and it was this tie that kept her firmly rooted in Carrington territory, whether Blake and Krystal liked it or not (they didn't!) ensuring that Alexis never truly let go. But we'd say that it was more than just the children that kept Alexis hanging around as the proverbial thorn in Blake and Krystal's sides. Given the chance, we're sure Alexis would have loved to have had her old life back as Mrs. Blake Carrington - hence her hostility towards Krystal and their never-ending rivalry.

Then came Alexis's next husband, Cecil Colby. In a strategic move, Alexis found her way back into the influential elite of Denver by marrying Blake’s business rival, Cecil Colby. Although their marriage was cut short by Cecil’s untimely death - on their wedding night - this union proved to be the making of Alexis and set her up for financial independence and a powerful legacy through Cecil's company, ColbyCo, which was to be Alexis's most powerful and valuable asset. It's ironic that even though her marriage to Cecil was the shortest of all her unions, it was by the Colby name that she was most commonly known as throughout much of the show's duration.

Dashing, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Dex Dexter became husband number three, and quite possibly the only man Alexis ever truly loved. However their relationship was far from easy. Dex was younger, brash, and unafraid to stand up to her which made him more than a match for Alexis’s fiery personality. Their tumultuous marriage was a rollercoaster of passion and betrayal. And betrayal there was, with both of them taking it in turns to be unfaithful, though it was Dex's affairs with Alexis's daughter, Amanda, and then later with Alexis's cousin, Sable, which resulted in Sable getting pregnant, that hurt Alexis the most. Even when their marriage ended, there was still a part of Alexis that felt that Dex was hers and hers alone. Dynasty fans will never forget the passion and raw energy of Dex and Alexis’s marriage, with each showdown just as thrilling as their romantic encounters.

The last of Alexis’s husbands was Sean Rowan - who also happens to be the one that viewers often forget! But then their marriage was very brief (just not as brief as Alexis and Cecil's!) Sean came to Alexis's rescue after she was involved in a car accident and it wasn't long before Alexis was swept off her feet, bowled over by Sean's charm, youth and good looks, just as she had been with Dex. But in usual soap opera fashion, all was not what it seemed and Sean had a hidden agenda for marrying Alexis - revenge. A concept Alexis was very familiar with!

For Sean Rowan was actually Sean Anders, who held a grudge against the Carringtons as he believed they destroyed the lives of his sister, Kirby, and his father, Joseph Anders - one of the Carrington's senior domestic staff members. After Joseph's suicide, Sean was out for revenge against the Carringtons, Alexis in particular. One of his aims was to run ColbyCo into the ground. However Alexis's ex, Dex, realized who Sean was and what he was up to Their short-lived marriage, full of deceit and drama, underscored Alexis’s vulnerability despite her strength, proving that even the fiercest could fall prey to the wrong man.

Alexis’s marriages weren’t just relationships; they were chapters in a never-ending saga of ambition, revenge, and a need to be loved, because despite her hard-as-nails exterior, all Alexis really wanted was to be loved and cared for. Her iconic status as one of soap’s most married women is a testament to her complexity as a character and to Dynasty’s storytelling brilliance. In each marriage, Alexis redefined herself, adding new layers to her indomitable legacy. And while she believed that all the men in her life ultimately let her down, the one constant in her life was her children. Alexis may have had a reputation as a ruthless schemer but she loved Adam, Fallon, Steven and Amanda more than life itself and would do anything for them and her grandchildren, illustrating another facet to the may sides of Alex Carrington-Colby-Dexter (as she once called herself!)

Photos: YouTube

Blog Graphics: Angel Noire