Blonde Ambition: Alison Sweeney

One of the most demanding schedules an actor can have is starring on a daytime drama.

Add to that hosting duties for a top reality show, and you can almost imagine the busy life of Alison Sweeney. 

The host of NBC’s The Biggest Loser has played Salem’s bad girl, Sami Brady, on Days of Our Lives since she was 16. She’s also directed some episodes of the NBC soap.

“Nothing is more satisfying to me as a director than knowing my acting background has given me the right words, the right tools to help an actor enhance their performance or see a different side to a scene,” she says.

Her work ethic doesn’t end there. Sweeney — who is married and the mother of 2 children, ages 5 and 9 — is also a published author. Her second novel, Scared Scriptless, hits stands in June. She’s also written two nonfiction books, All the Days of My Life (So Far) and The Mommy Diet.

“Whether it’s a photo book for my family or coming up with stories, scripts or pitches of ideas for TV shows, I love telling stories,” she explains. “I love for people to be affected by the stories I tell, whether I’m acting in them, directing or producing.”

Earlier this year, Sweeney shocked the daytime world by announcing she’ll leave the soap when her contract expires in late 2014.

“What’s kept me there for almost 22 years is that I love my job,” she says. “It seemed crazy to walk away from something I love doing, but I think now’s the right time to move on. Certainly my family plays a really big part in that.”

With her departure still several months off, Sweeney has time to adjust to the idea of slowing down. “We’ll see what comes. I want to open my arms to all the possibilities,” she says, adding with a laugh, “I know I will not be doing nothing.”