Christine Lakin Says Suzanne Somers Once Gave the “Step by Step” Cast ThighMasters for Christmas (Exclusive)
"She was self-deprecating, she was an amazing business woman and she was generous as hell," Lakin says of Somers at 90s Con
Suzanne Somers was looking out for the health of her Step by Step castmates and their families!
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on the 90s Con carpet on Saturday, Christine Lakin, Somers' costar on the hit '90s sitcom, recalls that the Step by Step cast always made Christmases "special" on set. She says there was always a holiday-themed episode to film and Secret Santa gift exchanges to participate in.
But one year, Somers — who died in October 2023 — gave everyone a gift that Lakin has never forgotten.
"There was one Christmas where she just gave ThighMasters to everyone," Lakin, 45, tells PEOPLE, referring to the exercise equipment that Somers became famous for selling in the '80s and '90s.
"And she signed them all and she gave them to people's families and grandmothers and cousins," she adds. "It was so generous."
Lakin goes on to explain why the gesture revealed so much about who Somers was as a person.
"She was self-deprecating, she was an amazing business woman and she was generous as hell," Lakin says.
The actress was best known for her role as Chrissy Snow in the sitcom Three's Company. However, she gained a new fanbase in the '90s with Step by Step, playing a widow named Carol Foster Lambert.
A contractor named Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy) sweeps her off her feet, and the couple must instantly begin the daunting task of blending their families and trying to create harmony.
Jason Marsden played Rich Halke on the show for many years until the 1998 series finale. He attended 90s Con wearing a pink shirt under his suit which featured an image of Somers.
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At the event, he tells PEOPLE he would go "out of my way" on set to visit her dressing room, which was on a completely different floor than his own.
He says Somers "always left her door open" and he always wanted to say hello.
"She's so beautiful, I had such a crush, I still have a crush," Marsden confesses.
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