Spoilers for The Young and the Restless highlight that Melody Thomas Scott has been bringing Nikki Newman, originally Nikki Reed, to life since 1979, with Erica Hope first playing the character.

The Young and the Restless Spoilers: Eric Braeden and Lauralee Bell had the honor of presenting Melody with her award.

On the June 7th Daytime Emmys, Scott won a Lifetime Achievement Award for playing the iconic character who has made a lasting impact on the show.

Her co-stars, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair), presented her with the award.

She was honored onstage by her husband, Edward J. Scott, the executive producer of Y&R. Melody and Ed Scott have been married since 1985. They share three daughters and five grandchildren.

Nikki was introduced as a prostitute and stripper. She came on the show with her sister, Casey Reed. Nikki’s father, Nick Reed was abusive, and she killed him one night after he tried to rape her.

She met business tycoon and sort of villain Victor Newman at the Bayou while working as a stripper at the Bayou. Victor was intrigued by her and brought her home.

In a storyline fit for the movie, “Pretty Woman,” Victor recognizes her potential and turns her into a classy young lady.

The super couple first wed in 1984, and they had a little girl named Victoria (after Victor) in 1982. Between 1982 and 1990, before Victoria rapidly aged like many children on soaps, she was played by the adorable Ashley Nicole Millan.

Ashley came between Victor and Nikki, resulting in their divorce.

Victor and Nikki’s son was conceived when they slept together. They were in the middle of a divorce at the time. Nicholas Newman (named after Nikki) (Marco and Stefan Flores) was born in 1988.

‘The Young and The Restless’ Spoilers: Melody Found Her Family And Home With Y&R

Nikki married Jack and he stood by her when she became an alcoholic and addicted to pain pills, but their marriage could not survive her miscarriage.

Nikki’s hopes of reuniting with Victor were dashed after he wed a blind farm woman named Hope Adams (Signy Coleman).

Throughout the years, Victor and Nikki have been on again/off again. They have been married three times and reunited even more times. The couple has remained one of the most popular in daytime drama history.

Recently, Nikki’s battle with alcohol resurfaced after Nikki was given an IV of alcohol by a crazy woman named Jordan Howard (shockingly played by the 1980s soap beauty from As the World Turns, Colleen Zenk).

Throughout all of Nikki’s struggles, her strength and fortitude have kept her going.

Going from stripper to heroin to Newman family matriarch has been quite the evolution. Melody Thomas Scott has convincingly played Nikki Newman throughout each new era without missing a beat.

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