General Hospital will not have to do without one of its core characters for too long. The ABC soap has hired former Guiding Light and The Young and the Restless star Emme Rylan as its new Lulu Spencer.

The role of Lulu Spencer became vacant just last week when Emmy winner Julie Berman announced that she had made the decision to "let go of Lulu" and exit General Hospital to pursue other ventures.

Rylan's casting could be seen as a huge blow to The Young and the Restless. In September 2012, the popular Rylan, who played Abby Newman, was inexplicably cut from the Y&R cast amid a massive housecleaning effort by its new executive producer, Jill Farren Phelps. Prior to joining Y&R, Phelps served as executive producer for General Hospital for a decade.

Several months later, in December, the CBS soap confirmed that Rylan would be returning to the show in a recurring capacity. With Rylan out, Y&R has already recast her role. For more on that, click here.

Rylan joined The Young and the Restless in March 2010 as an "aged" recast of Abby. Prior to joining Y&R, the actress appeared for three years on Guiding Light as Lizzie Spaulding. In each of her three years of eligibility, Rylan was pre-nominated by her peers in Guiding Light's in-house Outstanding Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy vote.

Berman joined the cast of General Hospital in December 2005. During her seven years with the show, she has received three Daytime Emmy nominations. In 2009 and 2010, Berman took home the trophy for Outstanding Younger Actress.

Berman taped her final GH scenes last week, but it is not known when those scenes will air. Rylan, who had previous been known to fans as Marcy Rylan, will first air on April 11.