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Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless was considered a force, according to fans. Played by Victoria Rowell from 1990 to 2007, Dru went from a street-smart runaway to a high-fashion model and cosmetics executive.
She first arrived in Genoa City as a troubled teenager who couldn’t read or write. Her aunt Mamie gave her a roof, and Nathan Hastings gave her a shot at changing her life. Over time, Dru built a successful career, married Neil Winters, and raised Lily, all while juggling family chaos, rivalries, and corporate drama.
In 2007, Dru’s story took a shocking turn. During a heated fight on a cliffside photo shoot with Phyllis Summers and Sharon Newman, she fell into the river below and was never seen again. Only her jacket was found. With no body recovered, she was presumed dead, leaving fans with unanswered questions that still linger today.
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Everything you need to know about Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless
Drucilla Winters entered the show as a teenage runaway with a sharp tongue and a chip on her shoulder, and over the years, her most unforgettable moments came from that same fire.
One of her earliest turning points was learning to read under the guidance of Nathan Hastings. Dru went from pickpocketing in department stores to working in Jabot’s mailroom, and eventually stood on magazine covers as a top model. Her transformation wasn’t just about success, it was about survival, and she fought hard for every win.
Her rocky relationship with her mother, Lillie Belle, gave viewers one of her most emotional scenes. After years of rejection, Dru confronted her mother face-to-face and demanded accountability for the way she was treated. She didn’t cry her way through it, she stood tall and made sure her voice was heard.
Her marriage to Neil Winters was another major chapter. Their wedding at the Chancellor estate was a huge deal, and their dynamic was complex. Neil expected a traditional partner, but Dru wanted a career. Their clashes over ambition, family, and personal values created some of the soap’s most charged confrontations.
Her feud with Phyllis Summers also gave the show some of its most chaotic scenes. They hated each other. Dru couldn’t stand Phyllis’s manipulations, and Phyllis never missed a chance to provoke her.
One of their wildest moments happened when Dru found Phyllis kissing her husband and later cut up Carmen Mesta’s clothes in a hotel room after suspecting Carmen and Neil of having an affair. That incident led to Dru getting arrested and sentenced to probation and counseling.
Another standout moment in The Young and the Restless was the reveal about Lily’s paternity. For years, Dru kept it secret that Lily might be Malcolm’s child, not Neil’s. When the truth came out, it broke the family apart. Neil was crushed. Lily was devastated. But Dru didn’t run from the fallout. She stood there and took the blame, even if it cost her marriage.
The cliff scene in The Young and the Restless 2007 was her final episode. During a fight with Phyllis and Sharon, Dru tried to grab Phyllis’s phone to stop her from exposing Sharon’s affair. In the struggle, Dru lost her footing and fell over the cliff into the river. Her body was never found. That moment ended her time on the show, but it was exactly in character, emotional, impulsive, and driven by loyalty to the people she cared about.
Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.
