Gossip Queen: Kelly Rutherford

On Gossip Girl, Kelly Rutherford plays a Manhattan socialite enmeshed in a world of charity galas, art openings, and the relentless shenanigans of her two overprivileged teens. She’s got a few personal scandals brewing as well (which would account for that private investigator who was tailing her). “I don’t know that I’d want to play a boring mom,” Rutherford says, “the way most of us are portrayed on television.” Boring, her character is not — and though the show’s steamy content has some parents’ groups crying foul, “If people don’t think their children are having sex,” she says, “they need to watch.”

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The 40-year-old actress won’t be dealing with teenagers in her own household for another decade or so; her son, Hermes, is only 2. “Hermes was the Greek messenger god,” Rutherford says. "But believe me, I knew the handbag before I knew the Greek. At my baby shower, my girlfriends joked that when my son was old enough he’d walk around the house saying, ‘Mommy, why does everything have my name on it?’ "

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The past year has brought changes in Rutherford’s life: She filed for divorce from her husband, entrepreneur Daniel Giersch, while expecting their second child (due this summer; she was three months pregnant when these photos were taken). The turbulence, perhaps, has made her prime-time success even sweeter. “It’s great to be a part of Gossip Girl,” says the actress, who first made her mark in the iconic 1990s series Melrose Place. Antonio Berardi cotton top, $1,874, antonioberardi.com. Anne Klein New York silk shantung skirt, $225, 888-841-2229. Gucci 18k gold hoops, $1,875, gucci.com. Bernard K. Passman Gallery coral and 18k gold cuff with diamonds, price on request, passman.com.

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Now that she’s older, Rutherford has gained a new perspective: “I was so serious in my 20s; I knew I wanted to express myself, but I didn’t find my voice until now,” she says. “Eventually you realize you can’t make everyone happy. The only person you can make happy is yourself.”

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