Farewell Ridge Forrester. It's been.... beautiful.

By JAMILA RIZVI

Today is incredibly significant. Always has been.

On 4 December 1259 the respective Kings of France and England signed the Treaty of Paris. On 4 December 1334 Pope John XXII tragically lost his life.

Zoom forward several centuries and on 4 December 1954 the world’s first Burger King opened it’s fat-filled, salty, doors to the people. And on 4 December 1982 the People’s Republic of China adopted its current Constitution.

But 4 December will never again be remembered for any of these previously considered ‘significant’ events. They will pale, nay, they will fade to nothingness, in comparison to the incredibly momentous occasion that will take place today: on 4 December 2012.

Today. Ridge Forrester.

Will leave the Bold and the Beautiful. Forever.

SHUT UP OKAY, I’ve been cutting up onions for a BBQ and a bug got in my eye…

Now, take a deep breath because:

Never again will we be so privileged as to have the daily viewing pleasure of that finely chiseled jaw, those piercing brown eyes and the artfully crafted abdominal muscles.

Never again will we pause to marvel at man who, thanks to lighting softer than the coat of a baby Labrador puppy and regular trips to the botox-people, is ageless, blemish-less perfection.

Never again will we sigh wistfully through one of Ridge’s romantic proposals, fan our faces as we watch the countless satisfying sexual performances, or turn our heads from the screen in fear, as our hero fends off death once again.

Because this time? It’s for real. It’s is over. He’s never coming back.* [Post continues below gallery].

So let us raise our glasses this one last time, for the man who told Brooke “I would marry you a million times if I could” and then… did. Marry her a million times (approx).

Ridge, we’ve proudly been there for you through the good times and the bad, through Brooke’s rages, through Taylor’s memory loss, through the scheming with Stephanie and the betrayal of countless friends-turned-foe, through the discovery of yet another one of your biological children, and the death of yet another long lost brother.

To the man who was both Bold. And Beautiful. To the very end.

Ridge Forrester.

Have you missed the occasional episode of the Bold and the Beautiful over the years? Never fear! Here, we re-cap the entire plotline (of 23+ years) in a little under 6 minutes. Enjoy.

*Ridge may or may not come back. If there is anything that daytime television has truly taught us, it is that death is never as final as you think it may be.