These ‘General Hospital’ On-Screen Adversaries Are an Off-Screen Real-Life Pair

On General Hospital, acting district attorney Justine Turner is determined to track down master criminal Jenz Sidwell and bring him to justice, which looks like it might happen sooner rather than later. Off-screen, Justine and Jenz are anything but enemies. In fact, they have been married for 16 years.

A Hollywood Love Story Arrives in Port Charles

Carlo Rota and Nazneen Contractor have only been members of the Port Charles scene for about two years, but in that time, they have both made their mark on the 63-year-old soap. Rota was the first member of the family that fans met when he debuted as Jenz Sidwell, the latest bad guy to take on Sonny Corinthos. He was originally the stereotypical villain who seemed to come and go when he held Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson) captive in Africa, but when he turned up in Port Charles and bought Wyndemere, he became a delightful bad guy who always seems to make fans laugh.

Justine was introduced to the show as the assistant DA prosecuting Ava Jerome (Maura West) for allegedly pushing Kristina (Kate Mansi) out a window, leading to the death of the baby Kristina was carrying. And it was Rota who helped get his wife the gig, albeit inadvertently. Contractor was visiting the set when she met executive producer Frank Valentini, who offered her the bit part of Justine soon after. That bit part has grown into Sonny Corinthos’ love interest, and that is a big deal on General Hospital.

“We’ve been married for 15 years, so we’ve worked together throughout our relationship and our careers many times before,” Contractor said in a 2025 interview with TV Insider. “But this has been very special because we are working locally, which is so wonderful. We can go to work and come home to our home, our kids, and our family.”

As Contractor told her on-screen love interest, when she and Rota appeared on the podcast State of Mind With Maurice Benard, the couple met when he played her father when she guest-starred on an episode of Relic Hunter, and found him to be quite charming. Years later, they met in a Toronto bar and the rest is history.

“In the end, I actually gave him my real phone number — the only guy I ever gave my real phone number to,” she admitted.

Although Contractor and Rota haven’t shared many scenes together during their nearly two years on GH, the pair has developed a fan following and will be hosting their own dinner event at the annual General Hospital Fan Club weekend in August. You can find the details here.