In 1981, she originated the role of Victoria the White Cat in the London production of Cats.
She starred as Laura in the 1983 film Staying Alive, alongside John Travolta.
Hughes was cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1985, a year after she moved to Los Angeles.
Hughes co-authored the novel Soapsuds in 2006, about a London stage actress who’s offered the role of a police detective on a popular American soap opera.
In 2011, she appeared in the hit indie romance Like Crazy.