Veteran actress Susan Lucci fought back tears during a taped TV special on Thursday (22Sep11) as she was reunited with castmembers from her cancelled soap opera All My Children during a special tribute.
TV executives announced earlier this year (11) that the beloved show would come to an end this month (Sep11) after 41 years on air as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
Lucci, who portrayed Erica Kane on the series since its launch in 1970, co-hosted Friday's (23Sep11) The View, which was dedicated to All My Children, and she took a trip down memory lane as she was joined by former co-stars, including Cameron Mathison, Rebecca Budig and Thorsten Kaye.
But Lucci was already struggling to keep her composure at the start of the programme, which was taped on Thursday (22Sep11), because for 30 years, the soap was filmed in the same New York studio The View now occupies.
Welling up on camera, she said, "First of all thank you so, so much for this special tribute... It's just incredible. Thank you for the celebration of a wonderful show... It's an emotional time; it's a very happy time. So much to be grateful for. But coming back here today was so very touching to me."
The show also brought together one of All My Children's most famous couples, Greg Nelson and Jenny Gardner, played by Lawrence Lau and Kim Delancey. Delancey's character Jenny died in a tragic jet ski accident in a 1980s storyline.
Vincent Irizarry, Alicia Minshew, Darnell Williams and Debbie Morgan also took part in the reunion.
The All My Children series finale aired in the U.S. on Friday (23Sep11).