When Maura Tierney returns in the final season of Rescue Me, her character will be battling cancer, the disease Tierney was recently treated for in real life, the show’s co-creator tells TVGuide.com.

After Tierney received a clean bill of health, Rescue Me co-creators and executive producers Denis Leary and Peter Tolan approached the 45-year-old actress about portraying her character, Kelly McPhee, in the middle of receiving cancer treatment. After some thought, she agreed, Tolan said.

Tolan says Tierney, who will appear with what he calls a “buzz cut,” even helped fine-tune the story.

“We wrote like dopes. We haven’t had cancer, and we wrote stuff that was a touch melodramatic perhaps,” Tolan says. “She got me on the phone one time, and we had the most fascinating conversation. She tried to explain to me what it felt like and what was going through her mind. … It actually took me a long time to figure out what she was saying.”

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ER veteran Maura Tierney is coming back to TV after departing NBC’s “Parenthood” last summer to battle breast cancer.

The FX network said Wednesday she will resume her guest role as the love interest of Denis Leary’s firefighter character on the action drama “Rescue Me.”

She is filming four episodes scheduled to air in 2011. That will be the series’ seventh and final season.

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Maura Tierney is exiting NBC’s new fall drama, “Parenthood,” as she continues to undergo treatment for breast cancer.

In July, news broke that production on the show was being postponed for eight weeks to allow the actress time to undergo a “medical evaluation,” NBC previously confirmed. Later, the actress confirmed she had a tumor in her breast, which required surgery.

Although the show’s start date was pushed back to mid-fall so that Tierney could undergo the treatment, it appears the show will now be moving forward without her and her part will be recast.

“While we are saddened that Maura Tierney won’t be able to continue in her current role in ‘Parenthood,’ our main concern is for her quick and full recovery,” an NBC spokesman said. “Our thoughts and best wishes are with her.”

A rep for the former “ER” star said the actress’ prognosis is good.

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Maura Tierney has just released a statement to clear up rumors regarding her health. Last week, NBC announced that it was delaying the fall launch of her new drama, Parenthood, while the actress underwent a “medical evaluation.”

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“In an effort to guard my privacy, it seems that the wording of NBC’s press release has unfortunately caused some confusion and undue alarm about my health. I have discovered a tumor in my breast which requires surgery. I will not know either my exact diagnosis or course of treatment until that surgery is performed. My doctors have all assured me this is a very treatable condition. I’m very optimistic as to the outcome and want to thank everyone who has sent positive thoughts and support. I look forward to going back to work soon.”

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WENN

Maura Tierney is begging E.R. bosses to kill off her character before the longrunning show comes to an end, but they are refusing to let Dr. Abby Lockhart die.

Network bosses recently announced E.R. will end after one more season, and Tierney is keen to go out with a bang. But she claims network chiefs want her character to live on, despite her pleas.

She tells AOL Movies, “I want them to kill me. And they won’t. They refused to kill Abby.”

Meanwhile, Tierney applauds the decision to call time on the hugely successful medical drama, adding, “I think it’s a great thing for the cast and the crew. And I think it is a great thing that (creator) John Wells and all the rest of the writers know that’s it’s ending and have time to prepare for it and finish it in a way that’s thoughtful.”

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WENN