Diane Sterling (previously Gibbs and Fornell) was a woman who was a criminal investigator with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and former real estate agent.
Biography[]
Pre-Series[]
Not much known about her, she born to unnamed couple. Her father was in Navy. She also had cousin named Todd, who was worked as bouncer.
After graduating from high school she eventually become real estate agent.
NCIS Origins[]
Season 1[]
In “Cecilia”, which set in February of 1992, she was asked by Jackson Gibbs to help sell his son's house and he give her his phone number. Later she calls at night Leroy Gibbs at his apartment and she tells him bring house deed to meeting on his family house, realizing that he's already in the house. Later on that house she approached to Leroy by apologizing to being late, complimented his eyes and asked him give her house tour what he begins at dinning room.
Season 2[]
In “The Funky Bunch”, which set in two months after their initial meeting and after their professional relationship is over, she started dating Leroy. Diane states everything she loves about Gibbs, implying she's in love with him, despite her coworker Janet tells her that guy she's dating only he cares about is work. Diane replies to Janet that she loves this about him and it's very heroic because he's not gonna look away until it's done.
Interim Years[]
At some point, Gibbs gives a sweet marriage proposal, and they get married. (At one point, looking back on this time, Diane states that Gibbs was "her Shannon"). During their relationship she become his "human anti-depressant" and she remained married to him longer than any of the ex-wives that followed. She knew Gibbs married her to get over his deceased wife Shannon (and probably over his fellow colleague Lala Dominguez), but she accepted his proposal anyway.
Before 1995 they moved out from California to Washington DC, when Gibbs gets transferred to NCIS Headquarters. During argument, she once tried to split Gibbs' skull open with a seven iron. In 1995, Gibbs became obsessed with catching serial killer Kyle Boone, later interrogating him over five months for location of bodies, after having enough of this relationship/marriage Diane left him. Years later Gibbs tells Diane that he always liked her and still likes her; Diane tells him their marriage fell apart because she was so in love with him, but she could not compete with Shannon's memory.
She also took huge alimony from the divorce and Gibbs' grandfather's watch. She also cleared his bank account after their divorce.
At some point she becomes an auditor for the IRS.
After their divorce, Diane started dating and later married FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell, despite Gibbs's warnings to Fornell of what she would do once the marriage was over, and together Diane and Fornell have a daughter named Emily Fornell in 2000/01. Emily refers Gibbs as "Uncle Gibbs”.
In 2004 she began an affair with Victor Sterling; they vacationed on in the Cayman Islands, since Fornell was continually busy with his work at FBI. After this, Diane divorced Fornell.
NCIS Season 4[]
In “Angel of Death” she is seen from afar when Gibbs waited for Fornell, when Fornell dropped off his daughter at Diane's house.
NCIS Season 8[]
In “Tell All” she mentioned getting married, inviting Gibbs and Fornell for rehearsal dinner, but Gibbs refused to go.
NCIS Season 9[]
In Devil's Triangle (episode), when her new husband, Victor, goes missing, she involves Gibbs and Fornell because she believes something is wrong. Victor becomes the prime suspect when they find security footage showing him stealing a virus; they found out he has a lot of money in a Cayman account. It is later revealed that he was used and framed and he is proven innocent. Gibbs and his team along with Fornell manage to track down the people responsible and prevent a major terrorist attack. It is revealed that at this point that Diane had cheated on Fornell with Victor.
At the end of the episode she confesses that she never loved Fornell, and that she knew Gibbs never could love anyone like he loved his first wife, Shannon. She also confesses that Gibbs is "her Shannon", meaning that Gibbs was her first and last love.
NCIS Season 10[]
In Devil's Trifecta (episode), when Fornell shot and killed a bouncer that tried to kill him, he and Gibbs come across Diane at the bouncer's workplace, where she was trying to buy the bar. She reveals that after Emily graduated eighth grade, she went back to working for the IRS.
When evidence of her involvement comes to light, they bring her to NCIS, where DiNozzo tries to interrogate her while Gibbs and Fornell stay in the observation room. In Vance's office, Diane reveals she is an IRS agent, surprising her two ex-husbands. Their investigation into the bouncer's attack is now a joint investigation between NCIS, FBI, and the IRS. Diane is put into protective custody with McGee assigned to watch her. At the safe house, Diane reveals that she and Victor are having marriage problems. This eventually leads to McGee and Diane falling asleep on the couch together, only to be discovered by an amused Gibbs before Fornell shows up, expressing "Holy Fourth of July weenie roast! What the hell am I looking at?!"
NCIS Season 11[]
After Gibbs shoots Fornell in the ass in Past, Present, and Future (episode), Diane acts as his caretaker. During that time, she and Victor end up getting a divorce and she starts dating a man named Eddie Macklin. However, while taking care of Fornell, Diane develops feelings for him again.
In Devil's Triad (episode), Gibbs and DiNozzo barge into Diane's hotel room, where they are surprised to see her with Fornell; Diane reveals her decision to divorce Victor and has just messaged Eddie to break up with him--while Fornell was in the bathroom.
NCIS Season 12[]
In Check (episode), Diane shows up at Gibbs' crime scene, along with another ex-wife of Gibbs, Rebecca Chase, before both women were forced to leave. The following morning, as NCIS is about to search on victims' records, Diane comes across McGee staring at Gibbs and Rebecca on the couch, reminiscing about a similar moment on the couch he shared with Diane in Devil's Trifecta. Diane's shocked reaction wakes Gibbs and Rebecca up.
Later that day, Diane calls Gibbs to a rooftop car park, where upon meeting him, she claims he called her. Realizing it is a trap by Sergei Mishnev, Gibbs tries to escort Diane to safety, only for Sergei to shoot her from a long range, similar to how Caitlin Todd was killed by Sergei's half-brother, Ari Haswari.
NCIS Season 16[]
In Daughters (episode), Diane's ghost appears to Gibbs, haunting and reprimanding him for not investigating Emily's overdose, demanding that he get his head in the game.
Personality[]
She has a fiery personality and is very direct, seeming to be in a constant state of anger that she mainly directs at men--current paramours, husbands, and in particular ex-husbands. She is shown to be very demanding and highly critical of others, appearing to think they cannot do things to the level she expects. While she tries to keep up certain appearances or things in her life secret from others, she feels the need to know what she wants from anyone she chooses. During a particular moment in Devil's Trifecta (episode), she opens up to Ziva about having married too young and not getting to have "wild and crazy times with friends".
Physical Appearance[]
Her appearance drastically changed from Season 4 to Season 9.
Trivia[]
- Diane's death was essentially a replica of Cait Todd's death after Sergei Mishnev was mimicking the deaths of the people closest to Leroy Gibbs.
- This also included Mike Franks & Jenny Shepard.
Appearances[]
For a more detailed list, see Diane Sterling/List of Appearances.