Dina came from a professional upper-class society of Genoa City. Joanna Manning, Neil Fenmore, Stuart Brooks, Katherine Shepard, Gary Reynolds, Phillip Chancellor II, John Abbott and Dina were quite close friends who had been to the same high school through their earlier years and developed that friendship beyond those years. Dina married John, who was the Wealthy Jabot Cosmetics founder. Dina and Katherine Chancellor were very good friends in those days.

Their son Jack was their firstborn, and a few years later Ashley was born. John asked Katherine to be Ashley's godmother, and Katherine gave Ashley the middle name of Suzanne as a tribute to a deceased former close friend of theirs in high school because she was "such a beauty." Then youngest daughter Traci was born. By the time they were adolescents, John was left alone to raise his three children when Dina ran off with another man to Paris. John told the kids that Dina ran off with Javier, a matador from Madrid. The Abbott children were mostly raised by long-time family maid, Mamie Johnson, whom they thought of as their mother. Jack, the oldest, served in Viet Nam, then with an MBA from Harvard, returned to run Jabot with Ashley who graduated with a chemistry degree from the University of Colorado. Traci graduated from Genoa City University, then attended graduate school at Stanford, and became a best-selling novelist living in New York City. They remained a close family, as everyone got into each other's business, and came to John for advice.

In 1983, when John refused an offer to buy out Jabot and found son Jack had okayed the deal, he had a heart attack and underwent surgery to alleviate arterial blockage. With this health setback, he began to have second thoughts - that maybe it was time to sell Jabot. But he nearly had another attack upon discovering the prospective buyer was ex-wife Dina, owner of Mergeron Enterprises, due to the death of her second husband. Needless to say, John declined. Dina was also at Jack's side that year while he recovered after being shot by his first wife, Patty. Ashley began seeing Eric Garrison, who unknown to Ashley was also involved with her mother Dina. Eventually, Eric ended his affair with Dina and proposed to Ashley, and Dina offered to help with the wedding plans. When Eric's possessions arrived from Paris, Dina made sure that Ashley saw a portrait of her mother that Eric had painted. On the back was an inscription, 'All my love, Eric.' Ashley was mortified to discover that Dina and Eric were lovers. Ashley stopped seeing Eric, then fell for Marc Mergeron, who turned out to be her mother's stepson! But Ashley eventually broke it off with Marc because he was too domineering.

In 1984, John was married to Jill Foster, but after he discovered her one-night stand with his own son Jack, he got back together with Dina again. Then former Country Club tennis pro Brent Davis returned to town and began an affair with Dina's friend Katherine Chancellor. When he found out he was dying he wanted to reveal to Ashley that he had been Dina's lover and was Ashley's real father! Dina and Kay tried to talk him out of it, but Ashley was traumatized by the news when he told her, and ended up with no memory at a roadside diner where she took the name "Annie" and worked as a waitress. When Brent and Kay returned from a vacation together, Dina confronted Brent about what he had done. Dina shot Brent but missed and Kay was shot instead. Jack figured out what had happened, and he and his lover, Jill, confronted Dina. Dina and John began a search for Ashley. A truck driver saw one of their flyers, figured out who "Annie" really was and offered her whereabouts to John for ransom. Victor Newman ended up finding her at the diner, and took her home to recuperate with him and Nikki at the ranch. Ashley forgave her real father just before his death, and vowed that John Abbott would never find out. Only Dina, Jack, Jill, Katherine, and Victor know the secret of Ashley's real parentage to this day, and John never found out before his death.

1991 Dina returned to Genoa City to attend her daughter Traci's second wedding to Brad Carlton and quickly became romantically involved again with John, which enraged Jill who was trying to get him to marry her again. When John proposed remarriage to Dina, Jill hired Paul Williams to investigate Dina's background. Paul uncovered information about Dina's various affairs occurring while she claimed she was recovering from tuberculosis in a sanitarium. Jill presented the damaging file to John, who immediately canceled his wedding to Dina. She left town shortly afterward. Then Jill found herself competing with Leanna Love for John's romantic interest.

In 1996, Dina reappeared in Genoa City. John resumed his romance with Dina and again proposed. Although Jack was elated that his parents were involved again, Ashley and Traci, who was visiting from New York, both opposed the reconciliation. The stress that John suffered while dealing with Jill caused him to have a stroke. However, he quickly recovered. Jill and John finally agreed to divorce, and Jill made plans to live in a new home with her son, Billy. Dina surprised her family by suddenly leaving town again.

John Abbott died in 2006. Dina sent flowers and her regrets that she was unable to attend.

In November 2008, Dina returned to Genoa City from her home in Paris to attend the funeral of Katherine Chancellor (who was not really dead, it was her doppelganger, Marge). Dina's daughter Traci attended as well, and they exchanged some barbs about Dina's lack of contact with Traci's daughter, Dina's granddaughter, Colleen.

In May 2017, Dina put Mergeron Industries up for sale, the company she had run for 30 years since her husband's death. The news created some bad reminders for Ashley and Jack of how she, their mother, had abandoned them as children. Victor took notice of the sale, as did the newly formed Hamilton-Winters group, primarily for Mergeron's ownership of the largest music streaming service in Europe. Devon Hamilton and Neil Winters flew to Paris, and they met on Devon's private jet. Dina balked at them being too new, and this their first acquisition. Attempting to convince her, Devon-mentioned that he was Katherine Chancellor's grandson and had inherited her wealth when she had died in 2013. Devon himself had nearly died recently, and his new mission was now to make Katherine's money matter. They asked why Dina was selling, she replied that it was the right time. It wasn't long before Dina agreed to the sale, then sent a contract making demands, including a seat on the Mergeron board and consultant status. Then she showed up in Genoa City on the arm of her younger companion Graham Bloodworth, hoping to form a relationship with the children she had abandoned. Ashley refused to forgive her, and was upset that Jack and Abby were giving her a chance. Under Ravi's advice, Ashley tried letting go of the past, inviting Dina to Abbott Manor. It turned out well, a family dinner, including Traci, with laughter and reminiscing. When Dina suddenly decided to return to Paris, seemingly under duress from Graham, only Abby was able to convince her to stay. Comments between Graham and Dina alluded to a secret behind why they were there. Ashley and Jack were concerned that Graham was only with her to get her money. Jack invited Dina to move into Abbott Manor, but they stayed at the Genoa City Athletic Club instead. Meanwhile Dina signed her new will which left Graham the bulk of her estate, and told Jack and Ashley. When Ashley realized that Dina was languishing without Mergeron, Jack knew his ever-forgiving father would have approved, and made Dina Special Projects Executive at Jabot.

Ashley began investigating Graham, turning up the fact that he was bankrolling a Boca Point, Florida, senior living residence $8000 suite for his mother Myrna Bloodworth, whom he claimed had died. When Dina confronted Graham with this news, he claimed she was his aunt, not his mother.

Jack threw a party for Ashley to celebrate her winning the Innovator of the Year award, something John Abbott had also won in the past. Dina and Graham attended and Graham urged Dina to speak. Ashley interrupted exposing Graham as being Graham Davis who grew up in Genoa City using his mother’s maiden name Bloodworth. Dina responded, shocked, “Davis? You are the son of Ashley’s father Brent Davis?”, exposing the decades-kept secret of Ashley’s real parentage. Ashley accused Graham of stalking and latching on to Dina years ago with the intent to get her trust and her fortune. Graham told how Dina stole his step father leaving him and his mother penniless, and yes he was out for revenge. Neil helped escort Graham out of the venue, and Jack took Dina back to her hotel room. Graham entered after Jack left, and tried to explain that his intent had changed to genuine caring for Dina. Dina tried to call her attorney in Paris, but collapsed to the floor when Graham kept insisting she hand him the phone. Graham coldly left her lying there and walked out the door. Later, Ashley dropped by to check on Dina and coerced Graham into letting her inside, finding Dina. Dina was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a small stroke and expected to recover fully. Graham refused to leave, showing them the medical power of attorney he held. And when they tried to see their mother, Jack, Ashley and Traci discovered her missing. They arrived at the airport in time to see Graham pushing a drugged Dina in a wheelchair toward the plane.

Jack and Ashley found Dina in a Florida hotel bar drinking martinis with two other ladies. Dina spat at Jack that she despised him and never wanted to see him again. But the next morning Dina was happy to see him and joyful. Jack informed Graham that his power of attorney was not valid in Florida, Graham left, wishing Jack luck in dealing with Dina. Dina was happy to go home, but became upset afterward finding out that Graham was gone. Viewers saw Dina wander into The Underground after hours, light a match, knock over lantern spilling oil, and leave. A fire broke out on the bar, and the building burned to the ground. The next day Gloria let Jack know that Dina had raised all Jabot prices and was renegotiating contracts. Jack corrected Dina who yelled back at him viciously how he could never live up to John Abbott. After again verbally attacking Nikki, calling her a slut and worse, Jack fired Dina. Later Abby saw Dina stuffing sugar substitute packets into her purse, and viewers saw her stealing silverware at the Athletic Club. While attending a Newman party, Dina started going off on Nikki again, stabbed Nikki with a knife, and fled. Dina stowed away in a car in the parking lot and was later found by police and arrested.

Dina’s strange behavior caused Jack to have her checked out by a doctor, and he was devastated to find out that she had Alzheimer's. Dina admitted that he had known for over a year. Jack took a leave of absence from Jabot to spend more time with Dina, and Ashley took over as interim CEO. When an old photo of Brent Davis was found among the ruins of The Underground, Jack spoke to Dina about it, and she realized that she had started the fire. Sharon quizzed Dina about the car she stowed away in, and got her to remember that it had been Zack’s, and she was able to tell them where the missing Abby had last been seen. Thanks to Dina, the police discovered that Abby and Scott had been locked in a storage building by Zach. Nikki dropped the charges for Dina’s attack once she knew what was wrong with Dina, the police did not file charges for the arson, and Nick was finally able to collect on the insurance. But Jack and Nikki broke up over it.

Dina continued to be sharp and happy one minute, throwing very savvy zingers at “her enemies” like Gloria, Nikki and Phyllis the next, then being nasty to everyone. She even told Jack that he had always been a disappointment to his father, which cut him to the quick. When it became evident that Jack could not run Jabot and be with Dina, even working from home, Ashley called a board meeting for a no-vote of confidence. Kyle phoned in the deciding vote, that Jack should be replaced as CEO. Jack refused to accept it. He and Ashley argued. Meanwhile Dina stepped out and returned with Nick Newman’s toddler Christian, calling him Jackie. Christian was returned to Nick with apologies galore. Jack and Ashley decided it was time to put Dina in a memory facility. But Graham showed up ready to use his power of attorney again, and left with a very willing Dina. When the Abbotts tried to object, Graham exposed the fact the two of them had been married two months prior when he spirited Dina away to Paris. The Abbotts and Michael were sure the marriage could be annulled, considering Dina’s mental state at the time. Graham also tried to put Dina in a facility, she objected strenuously, so they moved into a suite at the Genoa City Athletic Club temporarily.

Traci and Ashley did some sleuthing and came up with a manuscript by Dina which told how she met Graham on a yacht party, but 6 months later she was determined to get rid of Graham who was only out for her money. They read how getting the Alzheimer's diagnosis led her to want to get in touch with her children and make amends.

Graham broke into Ashley’s lab at Jabot and stole some chemicals, one of them toxic. He dumped all but the toxic one in a trash can in the park which was found by police. Graham got Ashley to come to their room at the club and hand him a syringe, leaving her fingerprints on it. Later Jack and Ashley put together that Graham intended to inject Dina and blame Ashley. Meanwhile Graham was trying to do so, Dina woke up, struggled, and Graham ended up injecting himself. They found Graham on floor, and Dina missing. Dina turned herself in to Paul for the murder of Brent Davis, who had been dead for years. Ashley’s prints were found on the syringe, but Paul believed their story that Graham was behind it all. All were summoned to the hospital, where Graham was not coming out of it. They asked for next of kin to agree to take him off life support. Dina, suddenly very much herself, stepped up, said she was his wife, and to go ahead.

Dina, back living at Abbott Manor, was again living in the past thinking Jack was John, and believing Jackie was still a little boy. She was fine with Ashley and Abby, but Traci was crushed that her mother didn’t remember her at all, treating her as “the help”. Everyone was having a hard time doing what the experts told them, to just accept her reality. Abby, relocated to Paris for work, and invited Dina to Paris. Dina excitedly accepted and left on the private jet. Abby reported that Dina, back in her element, was thriving. She remembered everything, her staff who were rehired, their history, and all the Paris sites. Abby also got professional help for Dina.

Jack received a frantic call from Dina, who had taken a train to Bordeaux, France, with her nurse, where they had gotten separated, Dina did not know where she was, then Jack lost the call. After much worrying, a social worker in London called Jack that Dina had been found there. Jack and Abby flew to London, and Jack returned home with both Abby and Dina. Dina had now turned against Ashley, distrusting her even to serve her food, accusing her of poisoning her. But one day, Dina was convinced that she was a teenager and giddily awaiting John to pick her up to go to the winter formal. Ashley and Traci took her in hand and tidied the lipstick smeared all over her face. Victor arrived at the door instead of John and managed to play along, convincing her that John was unable to be there, but had sent Victor to take her to the dance. Dina was delighted when Victor took her to Top of Tower for dinner and dancing, even giving her a wrist corsage.

Abby began videoing Dina telling stories of her past. She told about how John and Katherine were besties, and their friends included Dina, Joanna Manning, Neil Fenmore, and Stuart Brooks. She retold the tale everyone knew how John and Katherine went skinny dipping during their junior year, but added the fact that Dina had caught them and joined in. She and John had married just out of high school, with family and friends at the country club in 1956, which was interrupted by a freak hail storm. Their honeymoon had been a three month grand tour of Europe. Dina got bored while John practically lived at the office as he built Jabot, and admitted to “multiple affairs with many consequences”, like Ashley being fathered by club tennis pro Brent Davis. Dina told how her father left them when she was a child, and she had always felt it was her fault. Dina disclosed another secret, that Jack was not John’s either. She said he was a man from the country club, but she got agitated that she could not remember his name, but she remembered fondly their daily afternoon rendezvous at the Stardust Inn. Abby told Ashley and showed her the video. Both were shocked, yet with Dina’s Alzheimer's, who knew how much of any of it was true. Sometime later, Kyle got the same story out of her, and knew he had to get the “blood Abbott” clause removed from the Jabot bylaws or he could never legally run the company either. Abby hired Charlie Ashby to edit the video, omitting that clip. When finished, Abby and Ashley prescreened and approved it. A theater was rented, the Abbotts arrived in a limo in formal dress. Victor showed up uninvited, but Dina let him stay. Everyone was enjoying the video titled, “What the mind can’t remember, the heart never forgets.” Ashley and Abby were shocked when the clip suddenly appeared. Jack was devastated. Victor gave condolences then laughed when Jack turned to leave. Later a DNA test comparing Billy’s to Jack’s DNA proved it was true. Dina often remembered everyone and was lucid and funny, but at other times she regressed to being a child, or kicked family out of the house not knowing who they were. Jack moved out, and had to turn Jabot over to Billy. Jack forgave Dina, but focused his life on finding his real father. Neil found Dina’s diaries in the Mergeron storage, and Jack read about how happy this man had made his mother. But the page disclosing his name had been torn out. Jack found a key among Dina’s belongings which opened a safe deposit box. The only thing inside was a group photo from the 1950s that included Dina with Philip Chancellor. Dina confirmed for Jack that this was the man who was his father. With Philip III and his son Chance unavailable, on a trek through the Himalayans, Jack petitioned to have the body of Philip exhumed to do a DNA test. It was fought by the Chancellor family, and Jack’s lawsuit was dropped when Dina proved to be an unreliable witness. But Kyle took matters into his own hands, dug up the body, and managed to grab a piece of bone before he was arrested. But the results showed Jack was not Philip’s son. Dina’s photo also included Neil Fenmore, but Lauren confirmed that Neil had been the wrong blood type. Another man in the photo turned out to be Victor’s father, Albert Miller. Victor found out and he and Jack both dreaded that outcome which would have made them brothers. Abby refused to supply a sample of Victor’s DNA. His brother Matt came from Oregon and talked Victor into doing a DNA test to prove that he and Jack were not related. It turned out they were not.

The Abbotts were becoming aware that Dina was getting worse and telling everyone she had been happily married to John for 50 years.

Jack called a board meeting after Kyle discovered that Andrew Lynford had been blackmailing Ashley, and she had been paying him off as Type A Consulting with company funds. Ashley introduced him as Dr. Andrew Lynford a consultant doing anti-aging anti-cancer research. But Phyllis recognized him as a former coworker from twenty-five years ago at DNS Labs in New York City, and knew he was now in charge of the DNA lab at Genoa City Memorial. Jack offered Andrew double for the real reason Ashley was paying him. Ashley gave the answer for free, telling them all that Jack was really John Abbott’s son, how she had coached Dina, edited the clip in movie of Dina’s memoirs, and had paid Lynford to alter the DNA test results. Ashley got her revenge for what Jack had done to her by invoking the blood Abbott clause. She had been going to tell Jack the truth as a Christmas present. Ashley was removed as CEO.

After a bad conversation with Ashley, Dina told Kyle that she had been a good mother to Ashley and there was proof of it at Jabot. Kyle took her to the CEO office that had also once been John’s. Dina located a wall safe that had been covered during remodeling, her birthdate being the combination. Inside was a document that John had drawn up assigning all patents, inventions, discoveries made by Ashley to her excluding all others in perpetuity. Knowing what this information could do to the company, Kyle tried to destroy it, but Dina pitched a fit, and Jack walked in. Once Jack saw the contract, he shredded it, ushering them out, saying it was best for the company. After Dina later related the tale to Traci, Traci found and reconstructed the shredded document. She called a family meeting and made Jack and Kyle tell Ashley what had happened that day. Ashley was both elated and furious with them. Jack tried to buy back the patents from Ashley, but she stood her ground requesting the CEO position in exchange. When that was rejected, Ashley decided to pack up her patents, move to Paris and start her own cosmetics company.

After Dina became violet and aggressive with Traci and even more confused than ever, it became apparent that Dina could no longer live with them. The family reluctantly checked her into Bright Tomorrow’s Home Care Center. But when Dina realized it was time for her to leave, she locked herself in a room and climbed out a window, leaving her GPS bracelet behind. But Jack found her in Chancellor Park listening to Tessa sing. Jack invited Tessa to sing at Bright Tomorrows. Dina was good with that, and left happy. Jack and Traci visited Dina, but she didn’t know them, telling them that they were so nice to visit, unlike her children who had just dumped her there. Traci began reading to Dina from her newly finished book, “Stolen Lockets/Broken Hearts”, which brought a lot of joy to Dina. Dina settled in, and now and then she would ask, “Do I know you?” and her children would reintroduce themselves.

Jack and Traci decided to write the Abbott Family memoirs. While talking with Dina she started rhapsodizing about Stuart Brooks. While researching their connection, Doris Tillington came to them, admitting she had been the class gossip. She told them how Stuart had a crush on Dina in high school, quite obvious to her who saw them acting out Hamlet and Ophelia. But Dina was seriously dating John Abbott. Stuart and Dina snuck off together from a post-homecoming party at the Abbott estate and made love, but swore to each other it was a one time thing. After graduation instead of going to college, Dina spent a year abroad, never contacting her friends. Dina returned to Genoa City and to John. In stored Mergeron files, Jack found a tear-stained letter from Dina to Stuart hidden in a copy of Hamlet. It said, “I must be cruel only to be kind thus bad begins and worse remains behind.” Also a birth certificate for a baby boy. It turned out that Dina had been pregnant, and her baby boy was adopted by Margaret and Ralph Vanderway in Chicago. They named him Eric. Eric grew up to be a union delegate for the teamsters, had a family, but died from a heart attack when his son Theo was 15 years old. Theo landed in Genoa City as an adult. The Abbott family was shocked to find out that Theo was family, especially Kyle who had been buddies with Theo when they lived in New York City. After breaking the news to Theo, and getting a DNA test confirmation, Theo asked to meet Dina. Dina came out of her fugue hearing the name Vanderway, and assumed that Theo was her son Eric. Theo played along and assured her that he had been raised in a loving home which seemed to comfort Dina.

Dina was failing fast, not eating, sleeping more and more, she became disoriented, confused, and fearful. Warned that Dina did not have a lot of time left, the Abbotts decided to bring her home to Abbott Manor to live out her final days. In an envelope of things sent home with Dina was a note written in one of her more lucid moments of things she wanted her family to know. In addition to funeral arrangements, how she regretted being a bad mother, yet was so impressed that her children had all turned out so well. Saying she had barely known Traci, she was so young, and that it was unforgivable that she did not go to Colleen’s funeral, a most loving and caring young lady. It ended with, “Theo you are a great catch.” They prepared the room off the living room for her. Although mostly staring off into space and unresponsive, Dina still managed to be dressed up and sipping tea in the living room. Theo’s kindness or his fighting with Kyle in front of her seemed to spark her only reaction, and she called Theo Stewart. This left Traci feeling frustrated and inadequate to help. Billy and Lily convinced Traci to head the serialized online fiction department of their newly formed division, Chancellor Communications - ChanceComm. Working mostly from home, Traci could still be there for Dina.

Dina loved listening to music, as Jack, Theo, Abby, Traci, or Summer and Kyle would sit with her. But one song upset her and she uttered the word Bixley. Intrigued, Traci finally figured out that Dina had a Bixby movie camera. Traci began looking for family movies. In Dina’s Paris storage the only movie she had kept was of John narrating Dina bringing Jack home from the hospital after his birth. Typical for John, he said in the film, “Love and family are all that really matters.” Dina was entranced watching. Suddenly lucid, she recognized the necklace she had been wearing. Traci researched the huge emerald necklace which was known as “the teardrop of love”. She traced it back to a Renaissance painting of an Italian princess wearing it. All her jewelry had been stolen and missing for centuries. Then a Chicago millionaire’s GI son gave it to his girlfriend, but it was stolen. John bought it for Dina on the black market when she and John were young marrieds and Dina was pregnant with Jack. Dina wore it often for years but it was stolen about the time Dina abandoned her family for Paris. Years later, it took Victor a year to track it down for Nikki, but he lost the bid to a holding company named BOHDI owned by Neil Fenmore. Lauren found it in a safe deposit box in London.

The family finally realized that Dina needed to be placed in a facility for advanced Alzheimer's patients. But they brought her home for the final months of her life. Just before Dina’s death the emerald was cut up to make jewelry for each of the Abbott siblings, and Lauren kept a major piece of it.

Dina died, and Theo was incensed the Abbotts didn’t even notify him to join them as she passed. Theo attended the memorial, playing Dina’s favorite song encouraging everyone to dance and celebrate Dina. Kyle left, mad that Theo had taken over. Later at the reading of the will, an old will made prior to Dina knowing of her grandson Theo, she left his father a special pen that Stuart had given her, and it passed to Theo because his father was deceased. Theo complained later that the dang thing didn’t even write. The bulk of estate was split between her three children. Kyle was left her extensive art collection, and requested he please don’t sell all of it. Abby received Dina’s Paris apartment When Theo discovered that Jack had individual jewelry pieces made for family members out of Dina’s large emerald, excluding him, he sued for Dina’s entire estate. It was settled out of court after Summer convinced Theo to accept Jack’s offer of Dina’s thriving boutique company in Paris. Following a touching scene with Jack wishing him well, and telling him not to screw it up, Theo quit Chancecom and left town.