A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Christel Khalil's 20th Anniversary Party on Young & Restless

Three days before Christel Khalil's debut on The Young and the Restless' Lily Winters, the Abbott mansion set was transformed into party central to celebrate the milestone. As well as his castmates Bryton James and Peter Bergman, Khalil's real-life family including his 12-year-old son Caden and fiancé Sam Restagno, were on hand to cheer him on.

According to the pictures from the get-together, there were as many smiles as there were laughs. Khalil couldn't help but reflect on how much her Genoa City alter ego had grown since her big day with Soaps.com. The rebellious years she had early on helped her since, despite that, she was loved and respected.

"That helped her grow and become the person she is today. "Lily knows who she is and what she can offer." She is hardly the kind of naive teenager who could be exploited by an Internet predator today.

It is she who is part of the power couple in Genoa City, including beau Billy, who is a force in the business world. Yup, Lily is in a much healthier place now, Khalil agrees. She has grown up, and she is in a much better headspace than she was a few years ago."