this blonde bombshell
created a character that was the perfect mix of sex appeal
and sweetness (though feminists and religious critics often
labeled her character a dim-witted bimbo). As the buxom goof,
Somers became a show favorite, and in 1978 won a People's
Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New Television Series.
With her popularity on the rise, Somers demanded a significant
pay increase at the beginning of the 1980-81 season -- a demand
that led producers to write Chrissy off the show. Not one
to sit around licking her wounds, Somers headed to Las Vegas
where she developed a successful career performing on the
strip throughout the 1980s. Step-By-Step (1991-1996),
a sitcom co-starring Patrick Duffy, marked Somers' return
to TV, and she also appeared in Keeping Secrets (1991),
an autobiographical, made-for-TV movie that chronicled her
painful childhood in an abusive, alcoholic household. A vocal
advocate for women's health and alternative therapies, in
2001 she put those beliefs into practice when she was diagnosed
with breast cancer. In recent years, Somers has become an
accomplished entrepreneur, selling health and wellness products
(remember the ThighMaster), and penning a series of best-selling
books on diet, fitness, and healthy aging. She appeared briefly
on Broadway in 2005 in the one-woman show The Blonde in
the Thunderbird, which closed after only a few months.
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