Exclusive: Katherine Kelly Lang Previews Her Return to The Bold and the Beautiful

<p>She's been through hell and now she's back. Suds icon <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/katherine-kelly-lang/159939/">Katherine Kelly Lang</a> recently took a three-month break from her role as Brooke Logan on CBS's <em><a href="http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/194500/">The Bold and the Beautiful</a> </em>to appear on the Italian version of <em>Dancing With the Stars. </em>(<em>B&B</em> is a huge hit over there.)<em> </em>Alas, the two-time Emmy nominee found herself on the receiving end of some wildly bitchy and inappropriate comments from the judges — one even suggested she should practice more and party less. <em>TV Guide Magazine</em> got together with Lang to find out what's in store for Brooke when she returns to the soap on Jan. 22 and what she <em>really</em> thinks of her Italian experience. <em> </em></p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: A whole lot of you-know-what hit the fan while Brooke was off the show. What does she know about before she hits town and how much is a surprise? And who'll get their ass kicked first? Quinn?<br /></strong><strong>Lang: </strong>Brooke knows all about Hope losing the baby because Hope came to visit her in Europe — none of which the audience got to see — and she seems to know about Quinn and Deacon being together. My first scenes back are with Rena Sofer and Sean Kanan, and Brooke says to Deacon, "So...you and Quinn, huh?" [<em>Laughs</em>] And it goes downhill from there. Brooke <em>never</em> trusted Quinn.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: Did Hope tell Brooke about Ridge and Caroline getting all touchy-feely? What about Rick's trashy trysting with Maya?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> No, she didn't spill any of that. I guess Hope was too caught up in her own broken heart, so all that comes as a big surprise when Brooke returns. While she was away in Europe, she did hear that Rick and Caroline were having problems but she's hoping the marriage will be fine. When she finds out why it's not fine — and that Ridge was involved — she is not happy. It's kind of funny how she deals with the situation, which I will not spoil!</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: How long does it take Brooke to realize Rick has a very loose grip on sanity?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> She is worried about him right away and tries to set things in motion to make everything right for her son — but it's like she's putting a band aid on a gaping wound. She can see he's delusional and knows that can be very scary. Let's not forget that Rick shot a few people growing up.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: She's gotta be happy about Katie and Bill reuniting, right?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> That's why Brooke left town to begin with — to give them space so they could get back together. [<em>Laughs</em>] I can't believe it really happened! Something actually went right in Brooke's life! You know, when I left <em>B&B</em> to go do the dance show, I felt that Brooke was starting to spin faster and faster in a circle, so my [exit] was good timing. It was an opportunity for her to get away, tend to Forrester business in Europe, and let reality slap her in the face. She really needs to wake up. When she comes back to all of these problems in L.A. she has to ask herself, "What is happening to my life? Who am I at this age? Is this what I want my life to be?"</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: Sounds like that life-crisis thing Ridge went through when he went off to Europe.<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> Exactly. And he came back a changed man.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: For better or worse! Were you shocked to learn what happened on the show in your absence?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> No, my jaw never drops. We can do the weirdest things and I'm, like, "Okay, whatever." [<em>Laughs</em>] I've seen it all.<br /><strong>TV Guide Magazine: I know you've become involved with something in your real life that's very close to your heart. Let's give it a little plug.<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> Well, I'm very honored to say that I've become the ambassador for Breakaway From Cancer (<a href="http://www.breakawayfromcancer.com/index.html">breakawayfromcancer.com</a>). My dad died of colon cancer, and his parents also died of cancer, so I have long wanted to get involved with a cancer charity in some way. This is a national initiative that works with four non-profit agencies — the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the Cancer Support Community, the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship — and they help those diagnosed with cancer work through the entire process, with prevention education, support groups and financial assistance. It's a really important organization and a great way for me and so many other supporters to give back. Let's face it, we're all touched by cancer, one way or the other, and it's only getting worse.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: So give us the dish on your trip to Italy. Why were those judges so damn mean to you? Were they that horrible to everybody?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> No, they were definitely more mean to me. They do it for the ratings and they change the rules every single day so you cannot possibly explain how the show works. I thought it would be fun to go over and compete on a dance program. [<em>Laughs</em>] Well, I was wrong! It turned out to be more of a reality show with dance involved and they really want to provoke you. They want to see your reactions. They want to see tears and anger. And they really want to see you fire back some retorts, which is so not my style. I don't like reality shows at all so, when I realized what was really going on, I was taken aback. I think maybe they thought they'd hired my character. They kept calling me Brooke. I kept saying, "My name is Kelly!"</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: How did you keep your spirits up? <br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> By going into denial. They give you this little ear gadget so you can listen to the English translation as the judges are giving their opinions and, after a while, I just turned it off. I couldn't bear the comments. I just smiled...and smiled...and smiled at everything the judges would say. That way I couldn't get mad, or hurt.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: Did the Italian viewers come to your defense?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> They did! They said, "The judges are so mean and so wrong!" "You deserve so much better than this!" They didn't understand why the judges were doing that to me. People were saying it was just to get the ratings and to get the audience to vote but I felt like a voodoo doll, being stuck with pins to make other people react.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: Adding injury to insult, didn't you also hurt your leg during the competition?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> Yeah, I did. The problem is they don't train you for a few months prior, like with the U.S. version. They just throw you out there. You have to be performance ready and, as a result, a lot of dancers experience injuries. I wasn't as limber as I should have been and I went in there doing too much too soon. In rehearsing the boogie, I had to flip over my partner's back and land on the floor. Instead, I crashed to the floor and felt a jarring pain shoot up from my feet to my legs to my hamstring. It was a torn muscle and I went into physical therapy but the whole time I still had to keep dancing to stay in the competition. I was very stressed out. Even after I was kicked out of the running because of my tango, which was the third or fourth week, I still had to keep dancing because the audience votes and you might get thrown back into the competition.</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: In the U.S. version they try to woo votes by milking injuries. Did you at least have that going for you? <br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> They had cameras on us during rehearsal at all times but they didn't show my injury on the air — in fact, they wanted to pretend it never happened. So when I was talking to the judges, I had to bring up my injury myself which made it look like I was playing the pity card. [<em>Laughs</em>] I was, like, "This is <em>not</em> happening!"</p><p><strong>TV Guide Magazine: So the experience was pure hell? No upside?<br /></strong><strong>Lang:</strong> Oh, yes! Besides doing the dance show, I was expanding my caftan business over there with a new clothing line that is made in Italy — suits, jackets, pants, pencil skirts, blouses for the modern woman and <em>very </em>affordable — so that was a lot of fun. And what was really nice was that I got to live in Rome for three months. I've been there many times but always as a tourist. I've always wanted to live there and feel like the Romans do. I adore the Italian people. They're about six to eight months behind on <em>B&B</em> there so they just got to the part where Brooke has started drinking too much and they loved it. They would say, "Now we understand Brooke Logan so much better!" [<em>Laughs</em>] I guess because over there they drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So there was good and there was bad. The whole experience was an insanely crazy time in my life — something I will <em>always</em> remember!</p><p><a href="https://subscribe.tvguidemagazine.com/loc/TVM/articleURL88">Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!</a></p>