Jeanne Cooper taking medical leave from Y&R

Long-time Y&R star Jeanne Cooper will be absent from Genoa City for a period of time. The Emmy winner will be on medical leave, but she will return. Veteran actress Michael Learned will temporarily take over the role of Katherine Chancellor.

The Young and the Restless has confirmed that Emmy winner Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor) will be taking some time off from the show for medical reasons. The

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Entertainment Weekly has reported that veteran actress Michael Learned will take over for Cooper on a temporary basis.

"Michael Learned is an accomplished actress and we are grateful that she is able to fill in for Jeanne Cooper for this short time," Maria Arena Bell, Y&R's executive producer and head writer, said in a statement.

Despite being best known for her Emmy-winning role on The Waltons, Learned does have previous daytime experience. She appeared in a short-term story arc last year on General Hospital. Prior to that, she also appeared in roles on All My Children and One Life to Live.

The nature of Cooper's medical leave has not been disclosed, though EW asserts that Cooper is "okay." The 82-year-old Cooper will, however, return in the not-too-distant future, according to Bell.

"Jeanne is an integral part of our show and we look forward to her imminent return," Bell added. "We have great storyline coming up for Mrs. Chancellor."

Cooper is the second soap star is as many months to take a medical leave. In September, General Hospital announced that Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones) would be sidelined for up to two months

Learned will tape her first Y&R scenes next week. She'll appear on-screen beginning November 10. There's no immediate word on when Y&R fans can expect Cooper to return to work, but Cooper is expected back on the job by the end of November.

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