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Gina Tognoni
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Gina Tognoni Talks About Guiding Light Characters, Angles

Gina Tognoni PictureCBS.com sat down with Gina Tognoni to chat about Dinah's current situation in Springfield.

Dinah and Mallet
[Dinah] and Mallet (Robert Bogue) are sort of on the backburner, quite literally and figuratively as far as [their] relationship. I don't know what's going to happen. I am the biggest fan of Mallet and Dinah. I think that they will come full circle. They're at a point in their relationship where they're in their own separate corners.

Mallet is still in her life, but very much on the edge right now, and vice versa. I pray that that comes together again, and it will. I miss working with Rob Bogue [Mallet].

Bill's Back
Bill (Daniel Cosgrove), her younger brother, has come to town and he has much more of an edge. Dinah is a lot more manipulative than she's been in the past year, because she is good at that. In the very essence of her soul, that is what she's about. And that's what she's trying to evolve from. But it's what she knew and because she went back to what she knows, she has to deal with some of the consequences that come along with living a life like that.

That's what we're seeing. We're seeing her bad behavior again. We're seeing her manipulate, [and] work with Bill trying to get what they need. So, really, Dinah is having more fun with Bill these days than anybody.

Good Girl vs. Bad Girl

[Being a bad girl has] always worked for Dinah. It really has. People find her very interesting when she's like that. I like both. I like the manipulative side and I also like the side that discovers there's a different way. Gina, personally, likes that because I actually find that more of a challenge than being a bitch. And you can print that! [Laughs]

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Gina Tognoni: Engaged!

Congratulations are in order for Gina Tognoni.

During the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the Guiding Light star surprised co-workers with the announcement. She appeared alongside Mandy Bruno and Marcy Rylan, stating that she had just become engaged to her longtime boyfriend.

Gina Tognoni Photo

We don't know the lucky gentleman's full name, but Tognoni did say she'd be changing her last name to Chiarillo. So there's a large hint. The actress also revealed that her boyfriend popped the question to her the night before Thanksgiving, as she flashed a ring for all to see.

We wish her all the best.

An Interview with Gina Tognoni

Gina TognoniGina Tognoni is losing her mind.

Well, her character on Guiding Light is losing her mind. And the actress recently sat down with Soap Opera Digest to talk about it...

Soap Opera Digest: What has your experience been playing someone who's losing her mind?
Gina Tognoni: I love it! At the same time, it's really kind of depressing. We won't be telling the story forever, but I'm having a good time doing it because it's different.

Digest: What did you learn about mental health while you were in preparation?
Tognoni: From what I understand, people who have a brain injury like [Dinah's], where the brain suffers a trauma and goes through a period of coma or swelling, can wake up just not functioning the way they used to. It's similar to a stroke. You start to lose some of your faculties, and it's different for each person.

Digest: How do you think Guiding Light is handling the sensitive story?
Tognoni: It's a very realistic story, but we have the challenges of daytime and keeping it exciting and dramatic. They did a very good job. People getting hauled off to the looney bin and [guys] coming in white lab coats — that's soap opera! But I also think we have a lot of truth. That's what I like. We tell good story.

Digest: How has the story changed Dinah?
Tognoni: Once again she's lost her way, and she's trying to use everything she's learned from every experience to pull herself back up. Sometimes it's frustrating as an actress, but [Dinah] is a great character and one of the most interesting I've ever played. She is the definition of an anti-heroine. Not a lot of shows have that.

Digest: What would you like to see happen with Dinah in the future?
Tognoni: If anything, I want her to learn. [We] have to keep her a little edgy so she has that darkness in her, but I want her to overcome something. That's a very important element that I think we'll start seeing in her.