‘Y&R’: Melody Thomas Scott remembers late co-star Kristoff St. John

Feb. 19 (UPI) — Melody Thomas Scott says everyone adored her late Young and the Restless co-star Kristoff St. John.

The 62-year-old actress honored St. John during Monday’s episode of The Talk following the actor’s death this month.

“I adored him. We all adored him. There was something very unique and magical about him,” Scott said while tearing up. “He would just draw you into his wonderful world. And all of his bear hugs. I can’t believe I’ll never get a bear hug.”

“Going to any kind of event, any party, the first thing I said when I got there was ‘Where’s Kristoff?’ I want to find Kristoff, I want to be with him, I want to be in his air space. Because that’s the kind of guy he was, and I think that came through on camera,” she added.

St. John, who played Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless, died Feb. 3 at age 52. Scott, who portrays Nikki Newman on the show, said she didn’t allow herself to immediately process the loss.

“I couldn’t. We still had shows to shoot, and I had to remain stoic. I said backstage, ‘When I come out and anybody asks me, I’m going to remain stoic,’” she recalled.

The Young and the Restless honored St. John during its Feb. 8 episode. Deadline reported this month St. John will have a future storyline on the show as a tribute to his character and real-life persona.

Scott will celebrate her 40th anniversary with The Young and the Restless with a special episode Wednesday. She teased the special on The Talk, saying the episode is “all about Nikki.”

“It is such a trip down memory lane,” the star said. “For longtime fans, it’s going to be such a treat.”