WWW- Teri Hatcher only plays desperate on TV.
That’s the message of a lawsuit the Desperate Housewives diva is launching at a British tabloid over a salacious story about her sex life.
The Golden Globe winner is suing the Daily Sport for libel over a report that claimed she had regular “sex romps” in a Vanagon.
Hatcher, 40, has enlisted the help of de rigueur celeb solicitors Schillings to begin proceedings against the tab over articles the London law firm says, “falsely alleged that she engages in sex romps on a regular basis with a series of men in a VW van parked outside her L.A. home for this purpose.”
“The Sport additionally alleges that Ms. Hatcher does this so as not to be caught by her seven-year-old daughter during such sexual activity,” continues the statement issued Wednesday by Schillings, which has pursued similar cases on behalf of Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Naomi Campbell and, most recently, Kate Hudson.
“Ms. Hatcher is a single mother who naturally takes pride in protecting and bringing up her daughter at home in a caring and responsible way and bitterly refutes these offensive allegations.”
Hatcher claims extensive damage was done after these allegations were reprinted and “repeated extensively” in several countries. The case is slated to go to London’s High Court sometime next year.
In a series of well publicized interviews in the past year, Hatcher was quoted as saying she hadn’t had sex since her divorce from second husband Jon Tenney in 2003.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had any sex that I don’t remember,” she confessed to FHM magazine in February. “I feel like I’m too old to just have sex,” she told In Style in April. “I mean, I want to have sex, but with somebody who really loves and gets me.”
To London’s Sun, she said that caring for daughter Emerson Rose didn’t leave “any space” for romance. She has been quoted as saying she’s gotten through the dry spell with the help of “some fabulous electronics,” but she never mentioned vans.
While her lawyers fight for her rep, Hatcher did get some good news earlier Wednesday.
It was announced that she will be honored as 2005 World Actress of the Year at the second annual Women’s World Awards for her role as single mom Susan Mayer on Housewives.
“It is a great honor for me to be presented the award by Mikhail Gorbachev and also to be acknowledged with the World Actress Award at the Women World Awards Gala 2005,” Hatcher said in a statement.
“It is truly a privilege to be able to support all women’s causes on a global level. It is remarkable that something as simple as television can empower us to create change and awareness in the world. I am blessed to be able to work at a job I love and also give back in the most vital way–to people in need.”
The ceremony takes place next Tuesday in Leipzig, Germany.