Los Angeles:
Actor Eva Longoria has said her "Desperate Housewives" co-star Felicity Huffman, who is currently embroiled in the US college admission scandal, once saved her from a bully on the show's set.
Huffman has pleaded guilty to paying bribes to help her daughter gain admission to a prestigious university so as to avoid a trial and jail time.
Longoria is among the 27 celebrities who have sent letters to a judge, making a case for Huffman and why she should receive no more than the government's recommended sentence of one month in jail, followed by 12 months of supervised release and a fine of USD 20,000, reported Us Weekly.
In her letter, the actor said, "There was a time I was being bullied at work by a co-worker. I dreaded the days I had to work with that person because it was pure torture. Until one day, Felicity told the bully 'enough' and it all stopped."
"Felicity could feel that I was riddled with anxiety even though I never complained or mentioned the abuse to anyone," she added.
Longoria did not name the co-star who bullied her.
She also said that Huffman supported her when she was overlooked for a Golden Globe Award while all the three other leads of the show were nominated.
"I was the only one who was left out of the nominations. I wasn't devastated but the press made it a bigger deal than it was between the four of us actors and that did affect me a bit.
"Felicity came to my trailer and said, 'It's just a piece of metal, that and USD 1.50 will get you a bus ticket.' She then proceeded to tell me how talented I was and how I never needed an award to know that. I know I would not have survived those 10 years if it wasn't for the friendship of Felicity," Longoria said.
Besides Longoria, Huffman's ex-husband William H Macy and her sisters Betsey, Jessie and Grace as well as her brother Moore have sent letters in support of the actor.
