From Silent to Shining: How Abbey Romeo Found Her Voice Through Mermaids

Abbey Romeo turned 28 in the most magical way possible—swimming in the turquoise waters of Beaches Turks&Caicos with a mermaid tail, Elmo cheering her on, and her mom Christine Romeo watching her daughter move freely through the world in a way that once felt impossible.

But this wasn’t just another celebrity birthday flex. Hidden beneath the poolside party and the cake was a story about finding your voice when the world told you that you couldn’t speak. Love on the Spectrum star Abbey had connected with mermaids as a kid for a reason that goes much deeper than the fantasy of underwater kingdoms. She identified with Ariel’s loneliness, her desperation to belong to a world that felt foreign. More pointedly, she saw herself in the Little Mermaid’s silence—the moment when Ariel gave up her voice to walk on land.

Abbey attended an autism school growing up. One day she came home and declared to her family,“I have no voice, just like Ariel.”That simple sentence captured something profound: the gap between the person she was inside and the world’s ability to hear her. But here’s the thing—she didn’t stay silent. Over 22 years of speech therapy, Abbey fought her way toward the language and confidence that let her reclaim that voice. Now she’s singing at the Hollywood Bowl, releasing singles like“Right Here Right Now,”running a hat business, and walking into a water park alone at a resort, unafraid.

The mermaid obsession isn’t nostalgia or pure fantasy anymore. It’s become a symbol of transformation. Abbey isn’t the girl waiting to be rescued. She’s the one rescuing herself, one conversation, one performance, one independent moment at a time.

What struck her mom most wasn’t the party itself—it was Abbey’s freedom to explore the resort on her own terms. Christine told Us that she feels“safe letting her try things”at Beaches, and that kind of growth, in her words,“is so substantial.”That’s what real celebration looks like: not just a birthday party, but watching your child become the person they were always meant to be.

And Abbey’s ready for what’s next. Her goals for the year ahead include writing a new song, traveling to Italy and Australia (to visit the mermaids from H2O: Just Add Water, because of course), and throwing a pool party for her girlfriends with mermaid tails for everyone. She’s also hoping to start dating again—”I do wish there was a merman with me,”she said with a laugh.“They’re handsome. I find them so cute.”After four years with David Isaacman, whom she met on Love on the Spectrum, she’s ready to dive into new waters.

The girl who once felt like she had no voice is now the one writing the story.