Nicollette Sheridan is suing the man behind Desperate Housewives. The British born star, who played Edie Britt on the US series, has filed a lawsuit claiming assault and wrongful termination.

The 46-year-old states that Marc Cherry, hit her in the face on set in September 2008.

Sheridan insists that when she reported the incident to the studio ABC, Cherry took revenge by killing off her character. Real Estate agent Edie was axed in a car crash and electrocution in 2009.

Her lawyer argued: "It is exceptionally unusual for a popular character to be killed off or written out of a television series unless the actor has requested to be released from his or her contract."

Like co-stars Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria-Paker, Sheridan joined Desperate Housewives when it began in 2004 and was one of the show's main stars. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Edie in 2005.

ABC studios said in a statement: "While we have yet to see the actual complaint, we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit."