The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco has paid tribute to the late John Ritter, whom she starred alongside in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules.
Cuoco attended the charitable gala 'An Evening from the Heart' in Los Angeles this week, which was presented by The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, and opened proceedings with a heartfelt speech.
"This is really awesome. I think John is laughing his ass off right now. He cannot believe we're here," she told the crowd, before speaking to People.
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"He touched a lot of lives. I will do anything for his wife and his kids. And I'm so really very proud to be here and honouring him," said Cuoco, who bonded with Ritter's family after playing his on-screen daughter Bridget Hennessy.
Ritter suddenly passed away in 2003, after being rushed to hospital during rehearsals and diagnosed with aortic dissection.
Meanwhile, Cuoco also shared how Ritter would slip up at work just to engage the studio audience.
"He was so funny, and he loved his fans. He was so good," she said.
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"I remember when we were shooting 8 Simple Rules, [he] used to tell me that he would mess up in front of the audience on purpose to make them laugh. And I was like, 'No way!'
"And then I would watch him mess up over and over when I knew he knew the scenes, and I took that with me for a long time. He didn't take himself seriously. And I feel like we need to get back to what that is, not taking ourselves so seriously."
Cuoco starred in all three seasons of 8 Simple Rules, before it ended in 2005.
