Retired soap opera villain, 70, who stepped away from the spotlight a decade ago looks as chic as ever on rare outing... who is she?

A retired soap opera siren was seen on a rare public outing in Los Angeles recently.

The actress, now 70, stepped away from the spotlight in 2016 after an off-four decade stint on General Hospital, playing one of the soap's most iconic villains, which landed her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1983.

She had made her debut on a soap opera in 1976, playing troubled teenager Hope Bauer on Guiding Light in 1976. 

The star also appeared on legendary shows Santa Barbara, The Bold and The Beautiful and All My Children. 

In 2022, her famed General Hospital character was recast – much to fans' dismay – after she underwent hip replacement surgery.

So can you guess who she is? 

It's Robin Mattson. The actress is best known for her chaotic role as Heather Webber on General Hospital – making her debut as the character in 1980.

Mattson, who was the third actress to play the role, received three Soapy Awards for Best Villainess for the role and a nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1983. 

She departed the show after three years in 1983, and landed another major role on Santa Barbara as Gina Capwell.

The role, which she played from 1985 until the show's end in 1993, saw her win the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Comic Performance by an Actress: Daytime, and land two more nominations at the prestigious awards.

Mattson's sizzling soap run would continue with a role as Janet Green on All My Children from 1994 to 2000, and with roles on The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives and As The World Turns. 

Mattson would return to General Hospital for a six month stint in 2004, before reprising the role again from 2012-2016.

Her scandalous storylines include seducing the recently widowed Edward Quartermaine, trying to kill Carly Jacks. and escaping from a mental institution – with her portrayal winning fans worldwide.

In 2022, Alley Mills debuted as Webber on General Hospital, with Mattson revealing she had recently undergone knee surgery, with hip replacement following.

She wrote on Facebook: 'As nice as is to be missed and so many of you have wondered what happened to me, I just want to let you know that I've been recovering from my knee surgery and today I'm going to have hip replacement surgery,

'Thank you all for your love and support! Looking forward to a fast recovery! Love Robin.'

Mattson made her screen debut aged seven in 1966's Namu The Killer Whale. 

She starred alongside Nick Nolte and Don Johnson in 1975 film, Return to Macon County. 

The Daily has contacted a representative for Mattson for comment.