In a new tell-all book about The Big Bang Theory, released in time for the beloved sitcom’s 15th anniversary, one of the more shocking, behind-the-scenes anecdotes revealed Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny, almost had her leg amputated early on in the show’s 12-season run. The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series writes that the actress suffered a horse-riding accident in 2010, which the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, called “devastating” during an Oct. 13th interview about the book with ET. “There were so many things that happened that had they not happened, she might’ve lost the leg,” he said.
Kaley recalled the horrifying incident to author Jessica Radloff, saying the horse bucked her off, ran over her and landed on her left leg. “It was very serious and Kaley still has a really hard time talking about it,” Jessica told the outlet. The writer went on to say the only reason Kaley made a full recovery is because Chuck “helped get her the care at Cedars-Sinai that she needed.”
“When she was in recovery, he would come and play his guitar for her and bought her a rocking horse and said, ‘This is the only horse you’re now allowed to ride,'” Jessica added.
Miraculously, Kaley only had to sit out one episode! “She stood behind couches, or she was seated, and we made it as easy as possible, and I think during the whole course of that fiasco she missed one episode, which was a miracle,” Chuck detailed.
The anecdote comes only a few days after Kaley announced she was pregnant with her first child! Taking to her Instagram on Oct. 11, the star revealed she is welcoming a baby girl with her boyfriend Tom Pelphrey. “Baby girl Pelphrey coming 2023,” she wrote alongside a selfie with Tom, whom she’s been dating since May. “Beyond blessed and over the moon… I 💓you @tommypelphrey !!!” Tom shared a similar set of photos, writing, “And then it was even MORE BETTER. Love you more than ever @kaleycuoco.”