Y&R’s Cait Fairbanks Says Tessa Is ‘Freaking Out’ Over Mariah’s Secret (Exclusive)

Don’t Speak: Is the secret Mariah (Camryn Gimes) is keeping even worse than what Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) is imagining?

Ever since Mariah and Tessa were married on Young and Restless back in May 2022, the couple has been pretty solid, even presenting a united front when their adopted daughter, Aria, struggled with hearing loss and required hearing aids. However, after Mariah recently returned from her business trip, Tessa could tell that something had changed and that her wife was keeping something major from her. “Oh, she’s absolutely freaking out,” Tessa’s portrayer, Cait Fairbanks, confides of the secret that could potentially destroy her character’s marriage.

More Than Words

With Mariah unwilling to confide in her, Tessa’s mind is naturally going to all kinds of crazy places. “Not knowing is almost worse than knowing sometimes, because you just have all the fantasies in your head about what’s going on and the stress of not communicating with your partner and feeling like you’re having a disconnect,” the actress explains. “I know that with how important the relationship is to Tessa, this is just absolutely killing her.”

“Teriah” fans may have been excited to see their favorite couple getting a new storyline on Y&R, but this one probably wasn’t exactly what they had in mind. However, as far as Fairbanks and leading lady Camryn Grimes (Mariah) are concerned, they couldn’t be more on board for a shakeup in their on-screen love story.

“I think what’s so nice is we honestly love the drama, and both [Grimes] and I are a bit masochistic and love getting to play at these types of emotions, especially with these characters,” Fairbanks says of the couple’s newest conflict. “They’ve been in love and happy for so long that the stakes are higher when we are in a moment of tension. So there’s so much room to play with, and it’s always really exciting as actors. Of course, as characters and for the fans, we don’t want them to experience any pain, but this is a soap opera, so there’s obviously going to be a lot of drama and pain. It also feels nice to be kind of on par with other characters,” who regularly deal with hiccups in their romances.

Don’t Let Go: Tessa could tell something was off with Mariah as soon as she came home.

Tell Me Something

While Grimes knows the secret Mariah is harboring so that she can play her scenes appropriately, Fairbanks is just as in the dark right now as Tessa is about what Mariah is keeping from her wife. “They [the powers-that-be behind the scenes] kind of keep all of that tucked away from us,” the actress reports with a chuckle. “We’re always trying to claw at it, but whoever’s experiencing the secret knows the secret.” And yes, she has tried to get Grimes to spill the beans. “I try to dig at it, but she hasn’t given in quite yet.”

So, Fairbanks’s curiosity continues to flourish. “Selfishly,” she says, “I’m just thinking, ‘Just tell me, I’ll act. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I’m an actor. It’s fine. I can pretend not to know. If I can pretend to be kidnapped, I can pretend not to know your secret.’ ”

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

On a more serious note, if this secret leads to a “Teriah” split, Tessa and Mariah wouldn’t be the only ones affected — there’s little Aria to think about. “It’s not just a couple breaking up,” Fairbanks points out. “A family would be separated, which is just a horrible feeling. Absolutely devastating.”

Still, given everything that Tessa and Mariah have endured over the years, Fairbanks believes that they should be strong enough to weather this storm as well. She reminds, “They’ve definitely said that to each other repeatedly throughout the last few years, that the thing about their relationship that’s so strong is their honesty and the fact that they’ve been through things together. I think that any couple goes through a lot of big struggles together, and the thing that builds that trust is coming back together. Even if there is a time when they need space from each other, coming back together is the thing that makes the relationship keep staying so strong.”

Fairbanks urges the loyal “Teriah” fan base to keep that in mind if the worst comes to pass. “It’s so hard, because I’ve seen every other couple on the show go through hard times and then come back together, and it’s even better and even stronger,” the actress muses. “I think that’s the thing to keep remembering, because of the style of this show, [a relationship crisis] doesn’t mean that it’s over. It just means that they’re going through a period of hard times, which is a very famous part of soap operas. We break up, we feel that intensity and that drama, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship is over. If anything, it means that the relationship can become even more important.”

A Family Affair: Will Tessa and Mariah be able to keep their daughter, Aria, away from their drama?