Co-star thought show died with Ritter

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Pretty teen actress Kaley Cuoco was initially upset by ABC's decision to continue "8 Simple Rules..." after her TV dad died.

"When I heard that the show would go on, I was mad," Cuoco, who plays Bridget on the sitcom is quoted saying in next month's issue of Teen Vogue.

"I didn't think it was right," she explained. "That first day (back on the set) I couldn't get through my lines, I was sobbing. I couldn't breathe. What were we doing here? '8 Simple Rules' might as well have been called 'The John Ritter Show.' I didn't want to do it without him."

Ritter died suddenly last summer, leaving ABC and his grief-stricken co-stars wondering whether the show should go on without him. The network ran the new episodes Ritter taped before he died, then echoed his death by killing off his character on the show.