F.Y.I

Birthday: March 15
Hometown: Ansonia, Conneticut
Bookworm: "Currently, I am reading Fanny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger, which I borrowed from Shawn Batten (Sara). Growing up I was never into reading. But I've become one of those people who is reading five books at once.
Why she looks so fit: Yoga and stretching is really good for you. I love to run, too. Not only is it healthy, it helps to relieve steam."
Tips for everlasting friendship: "Listening is really important. Also, being respectful and keeping a secret if someone asks you to."

When vixen Gabi Martinez hit Sunset Beach way back when, she made the quake that just shook the city seem like the gentle rumbling of a subway. She was hell-bent on ruining the life of her half-sister she had never known, even if that meant dragging down a few even-more-innocent bystanders in the process. In fact, it was only last fall that grabby Gabi was testifying against her half-sister's fiance, Ricardo, accusing him of rape. "Gabi was desperate," explains her portrayer, Priscilla Garita. "Desperate for love. The only way she knew how to get it was by conniving and manipulating."

But boy, have things ever changed. A year later, Gabi has gotten her man - unbelievably, Ricardo - by loving, not scheming. During the infamous rape trial, her repressed memories of being sexually abused by her father surfaced - and all of Sunset's impression of her gradually began to change, rightly, for the better. "Everything Gabi did to Paula was her way of getting back at her for the things her father did," Garita explains. "Even though Paula wasn't responsible, Gabi put it all on her."

And though Gabi came off like a vamp, she was really pretty naive. "Other than Gabi's father raping her, Ricardo was the only person she slept with," Garita says. "She really had fallen for Ricardo and afterward [the tryst], it destroyed her when Ricardo told her that she meant nothing to him. Then things just escalated before she really had a chance to stand back and evaluate them."

Today, Gabi is a new woman. Now aware of the truth about her painful past, she has tried to move forward, honestly. "Mark was a big factor in helping her," Garita says. "He taught her to be honest and be true to herself."

As a result of her late pal's friendship, Gabi at last is enjoying a taste of true love for the first time - with Ricardo.

Since landing her SUN role in 1997, Garita has gone through some changes too - though thankfully they haven't been nearly as cataclysmic as the ones Gabi has suffered. The actress - who briefly originated the role of Maria Santos on the Manhattan-based ALL MY CHILDREN - moved from New York City to Los Angeles and, much like Gabi, felt like a fish out of water. "It was a hard adjustment that first year," she allows. "I am not going to lie, I cried a lot."

"But," she adds, "my mom came out a lot last year, which made it easier for me."

Garita still is going through alterations to her life: In July, her parents moved to their native Costa Rica. "I used to speak with my mother all the time," she says. "She kept me up with the rest of my sisters. But now we talk only once every two weeks. It's been sad. But it was a good move for them. So I am happy for them."

Like Gabi, Garita has gotten by in trying times with a little bit of help from friends. "I can now call Los Angeles my home," she says happily. "I have good friends here, most fo whom are on SUN - like Shawn Batten (Sara), Tim Adams (Casey), Sherri Saum (Vanessa), and Hank Cheyne (Ricardo) and his wife, Missy.

"It's great," she elaborates, "because we don't necessarily talk shop all the time, but we understand what our work life is like."

Garita certainly loves her job. SUN currently seems to be moving toward a triangle between Gabi, her true love, Ricardo, and his brother, Father Antonio. "Ricardo was a big factor in her transformation," says Garita. "The fact that he believed in her and was willing to help her get through the revelations of being raped by her father was so important to her."

On the other hand..."Father Antonio is this angelic figure who has come into her life," Garita observes. "She deeply respects him for living a life that is nothing but goodness. In fact, that inspired her to be a better person."

So, what about Antonio's x-rated dreams? Does Garita think that Gabi would ever reach for that forbidden fruit? "For now, Gabi only has eyes for Ricardo," she says. "He is Gabi's first love. But you never know - anything is possible."