Dian Alberts

Dian Carina Felicia Alberts (formerly van Houten, van Groeningen and van der Zee) was a character from the Dutch television soap series Goede tijden, slechte tijden (English: Good Times, Bad Times). She was played by three actresses: Lotte Van Dam (October 17, 1991 - September 15, 1993, stand-in; May - August 1996), Chris Jolles (December 29, 1994 - January 5, 1999) and Rixt Leddy (September 6, 2005 - March 3, 2008). Each actress portrayed a different side of Dian's personality; Van Dam was the good girl, Jolles the bad girl while Leddy balanced these characters.

Biography

1991-1993

Relationships with Tim Waterman and Mark de Moor

Dian was the daughter of Jef and Karin Alberts. She had two brothers, John (also deceased) and Remco (Terhorst, Jef's firstborn son from a teenage-relationship). Her cousin was Arnie (who died in 1996) whom her parents looked after when Jef's brother Robert and pregnant wife Laura embarked on an 18-month New York-sojourn. Dian arrived in Meerdijk when Jef and Karin were close to splitting up, she had a few bombshells to drop. She had left university and wanted to move in with her new boyfriend Tim Waterman, but she had forgotten to inform the latter. Tim went blind after a traffic-accident but was still in for an eye-operation during the Christmas-period. The return of his sight also enabled him to take a fresh look oat Dian, and all he could see was a jealous, possessive girl.

Dian looked set to be followed by a newcomer Anita Dendermonde who certainly was not on top of her list. Anita's so-called homeless mate Machteld Steens (who was taken to the youth-refuge as revenge on Anita's stepmother-to-be) felt that Dian should be taught a lesson and staged a burglary on March 6, 1992. Dian was overpowered by one of Machteld's sideman but ended up accepting Anita's apologies. Soon afterwards she began a relationship with Mark de Moor, an attractive swimmer she met on a spa weekend with her feminist aunt Sandra. During this period Karin was dating builder Jan-Henk Gerritse; it did not last but it did make her realise what a shambles her marriage was. On April 10, 1992, she left. Dian was broken-hearted and with Jef failing to comfort her she made an ill-fated effort to run away with Mark. Six months later this relationship ended after Dian spoiled Mark's application for a swim-instructing-job by getting competitive with his potential boss' daughter.

Revenge of the freak I

Meanwhile Jef took a new CEO-job after resigning from a factory that produced a poisonous glue. His first mission was getting rid of "public enemy no.1" Kees Moree, who gave his superiors ten years' worth of headaches. On September 29, 1992, he went to the Alberts' residence for an explanation. Dian answered the door and was picked as an easy target; she could not walk down the street or rest at home without Moree bullying her, and a secret phone-number was no solution either. Dian went to a hotel, but Moree tracked her down and on October 26, 1992, he entered her room dressed as a waiter with a rope with which he tied her. Jan-Henk came to the rescue and Jef called the police after finding out that there was something suspicious about his car.

Relationship with Arthur Peters

In November 1992, Dian met Arthur Peters during a visit to Suzanne Balk, a business-woman who was driven into a wheelchair by a motorbiker. Initially, Dian viewed on the Surinamese-blooded pianist as a meddler because he refused to be servant-like towards Suzanne (by doing so, Suzanne would never grow independent again), but by Christmas she was in a relationship with him. Jef expressed his concern about the "cultural differences" and others disapproved as well. On January 13, 1993, Arthur was refused entry to the local disco, allegedly for not holding an ID-card. Mickey Lammers, an apprentice journalist, made matters worse by writing a scandalous article. The Xanadu, owned by a Native American, closed its doors and two resident bullies went ballistic. Dian, Arthur and the latter's landlord Govert Harmsen (initially not keen on the idea of having a black tenant) individually faced their wrath. They all recovered and Dian said yes when Arthur proposed on the dance floor. A meeting with Tracy and Frenk Peters was scheduled for April 9, 1993, but Jef (now officially divorced) scuppered any chances the marriage had by turning up drunk. Mark, whose swimming career ended because of his mother's drinking problem, did not help either by telling Tracy why it went wrong between him and Dian. Arthur was forced into a break-up, but when he decided that he wanted Dian back it was a case of "too much, too little, too late". "Why don't you propose to your Mum?" Dian sobbed. Soon afterwards she learned that Arthur drink drove himself into hospital. She wanted to visit him but Tracy's mother-to-son-lecture ("You could've been dead!") put her off the idea. Instead Dian left Meerdijk to move in with Karin.

1994-1999

Dian versus the rest

During her off-screen period, Dian was introduced to Karin's new boyfriend. However, she did not need an "ersatz Dad" and bullied him away. Karin found out and sent her packing, but the damage had already been done; sweet, fickle-hearted Dian was now in the past. On December 29, 1994, Dian returned to Meerdijk to do the same to Jef's new wife, Sylvia Merx. Two years later, when Sylvia contracted terminal cancer, Dian showed remorse but she had changed too much to be her old self again.

Dian made the bad-to-worse trip by dating Frits Van Houten, one of Meerdijk's most influential businessmen, and becoming his wife. Jef and Karin were not the only ones to disapprove. On November 10, 1995, Van Houten was murdered by his secretary Hannie to whom Dian teasingly said, "This is what they call a wedding ring (moron)." Ludo Sanders was called in to take over Van Houten's business matters and saw through Dian's seduction act. He rejected her and married the journalist Janine Elschot.

However, Dian was having his baby but lost it after falling down the stairs. "I wanted to name him Jeffrey," she tearfully confessed to Jef. Dian held Ludo responsible and hooked up with Bowien Galema and new love interest Huib Van Groeningen for revenge. They faked the latter's death and Ludo was framed. Dian, disinherited after her failure to convince Jef that the returned John was actually a dangerous imposter, left Meerdijk again.

2005-2008

Return to Meerdijk II

After breaking up with Van Groeningen, Dian settled in Paris where she almost became bankrupt. Van Houten's US-raised son Jack informed her of a mysterious amulet. Dian was concerned that Jack wanted Frits' possessions and wasted no time in returning to Meerdijk where she had a one-night stand with Dennis Tuinman, her own cousin whom Arnie was swapped for at birth. To top it all, Dian was fooled into believing that Frits had faked his own death. She found out after taking a picture of his bottom which did not have the Scrooge McDuck tattoo that Frits had. In fact she was sleeping with his twin brother Hans.

Relationships with Donald Van Der Zee and Mohammed Aydin

In 2006, Dian married Donald Van Der Zee, a disabled millionaire who only had a few days left to live. After his death, it was widely believed that Dian only married him for financial interests. That did not stop her from using her inheritance to fund Alvida and buy clients from Sanders Inc. Soon, she set eyes on police inspector Mohammed Aydin who was called in to solve Ludo Sanders' murder (who actually survived). A relationship developed and there was even talk of living together, but Aydin's life was cut short by a traffic accident. Meanwhile, Ludo had seen the light after a Dickensian dream joined forces with Dian in founding the Ludo Sanders Refuge for victims of violence.

Revenge of the freak II

In 2007, Dian faced the wrath of a stalker who sent her a stuffed butterfly and cut off a fringe of her hair. He also made phone calls after getting Dian's number from Jef's third wife Barbara Fischer. The bartender Rik De Jong was blamed and arrested by the new police inspector, Bob Lanschot, who appeared to be the stalker himself. He was found at his holiday home and arrested at Dian's Meerdijk residence. Lanschot was also responsible for the deaths of his wife and Aydin.

Bankruptcy and death

The battle with Ludo resumed in 2008 after the latter went bad again. Ludo pursued legal actions because Dian's marriage to Donald Van Der Zee was illegal and had a relative flown in from Australia to testify. Dian lost her money and her business. During the handover to Ludo on February 29, 2008, she was suffering from a brain aneurysm. Ludo refused to call a doctor ("Call a doctor yourself") and left her for paralysed. Laura Selmhorst found her and informed the rest of the family.