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Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Sitcom star Sherri Shepherd said she is happy to guest host the syndicated Wendy Williams Show Monday and Tuesday while her friend continues to deal with complications from Grave's disease and a broken shoulder. "We're all praying for the queen because no one can fill Wendy Williams' shoes," Shepherd told UPI.
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"I am very honored that she's trusting me enough to take her chair for two days," the 51-year-old actress and comedian said, adding she thinks Williams made the right decision to take a break from her daily show to focus on wellness. "If you can't take care of you, you can't take care of anybody."
Shepherd, of course, is no stranger to the talk-show milieu. She co-hosted The View from 2007-14, alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters and several other women who came and went over the years.
"I'm so excited," she said of filling in for Williams. "But I'm so used to doing a panel talk show, so if you see me look at another person and say, 'Whoopi, what do you think?' Or, 'Joy, I don't agree with you.' You'll know where that is coming from."
Being able to steer the conversation and ask guests the questions she wants are part of what appeals to Shepherd about going it alone.
"I've been trying to get my own talk show for awhile now, so this is going to be fun," she said.
The single mom and former Dancing with the Stars contestant who is best known for her roles in Mr. Iglesias, Trial & Error, Sherri, Less than Perfect, Everybody Loves Raymond and Suddenly Susan has also been working hard to get healthy.
She said she feels great after losing 32 pounds by eliminating sugar from her diet for almost a year.
Quitting the ubiquitous and addictive substance wasn't easy.
"I sat in the corner naked for three weeks and moaned like a bear that had been shot in the behind," she joked.
But she said it was the best thing she ever did for herself.
"Because I want to live. I have a 13-year-old son with unique challenges and I want to be here for him and if there is anything that I can do that will enable me to keep going, I want to do it," she said.
With a family history of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, Shepherd said she walked in last week's American Heart Association Go Red for Women fashion show in New York because she wants to use her celebrity to empower women to take control of their health.
"I can't do much. I don't know how to cook. I'm trying to raise this son I have, so if I can use this platform to do something (I will.) Sometimes, I think that people think celebrities have it altogether and they're perfect, so when you can say to them, 'No, I've gone through this, too,' sometimes it encourages people."
