The stars of our youth, much like us, also age. Sometimes, when they fall out of the limelight or consciously disappear, we see them years or even decades later, and they seem familiar yet unrecognizable.
The story of the young starlet we are about to tell is similar. For almost a decade she mesmerized fans with her beauty, but her recent sighting caused a big stir of concern. Keep reading to know more.
From 1998 to 2006, the television show ‘Charmed‘ not only charmed its audiences but rather captivated them for nearly a decade. The show featured a trio of sisters who were later joined by their fourth sister.
The Halliwell sisters, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and later Paige, weaved their magic onscreen, which glued viewers to the screen. The sisters were played by actresses Holly Marie Combs, Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, and Rose McGowan. All of whom went on to have major careers in the future.
The sisters come from a line of king female witches and they used their shared magic abilities referred to in the show as the “Power of Three,” to combat evil.
The sisters all had unique powers and personalities which made the show the massive hit that it was because of its captivating storytelling. Now, 26 years after the show first aired, the actresses behind the famous Halliwell sisters have also changed.
The second eldest sister in the series was Piper Halliwell played by actress Holly Marie Combs.
Combs was born on December 9, 1973, in San Diego, California. She moved to New York City when she was 7 years old. She began to get roles in television and print commercials which soon sparked her interest in acting.
She had a series of minor roles in the next few years with her ‘big break’ being in the TV drama ‘Picket Fences‘ in 1992 as Kimberly. The show aired for four years and also earned Combs much critical praise and a Young Actors Award.
After this role, her acting career really took off and she began appearing on screen much more often. In 1998, her good friend Shannen Doherty, told her about ‘Charmed’. She proceeded to audition for the role of Piper Halliwell which she got and it propelled her to major stardom.
In her recent years, she has not been that active as an actress but has worked tirelessly as an advocate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she supported the vaccination campaign, talking about her personal experience with vaccination having several autoimmune diseases herself. “If not for you then for the people who shouldn’t have to die,” she urged in her plea to get people to vaccinate themselves.
In recent years, her looks have gone through transformation and some fans have been really unkind to her about it. “Holly marie combs has gained HELLA weight,” one user said about her.
Another person agreed with them and said, “Wow she is so heavy.” Fans who knew her from “Charmed” also commented, “Omg Holly Marie Combs put on so much weight since Charmed!”
In her personal life, she has gone through many ups and downs. She married Bryan Smith in 1993 and the couple split up in 1997.
She then remarried David Donoho in 2004. But the couple ended up divorcing in 2011. During their marriage, they welcomed three children together, Finley Arthur, Riley Edward, and Kelley Donoho.
Combs welcomed her children happily as for a time she was unsure it would happen for her. When she was 24, she underwent surgery to remove a fibroid the size of a baseball. She welcomed her first child after which she battled postpartum thyroiditis, she then went on to welcome two more children.
Combs has since remarried for a third time, marrying restauranteur Mike Ryan in 2019. The couple tied the know at a private outdoor ceremony in Carmel, California.
The 50-year-old said later that she was not looking for love when Mike came into her life. “Our connection was so immediate. Just when I stopped looking for the perfect person, the perfect person showed up,” she shared.
