BEIJING, April 15 --  Nicollette Sheridan says her "Desperate Housewives" character faced something more dangerous than a deranged husband: The actress claims the show's creator had it in for Edie Britt.

    Sheridan told TV Guide magazine that Edie must represent somebody that "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry didn't like and that he had trouble "distinguishing between fact and fiction."

In this July 17, 2008 photo, Nicollette Sheridan, from the show "Desperate Housewives", is seen during the ABC panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif.

    When last seen, Edie had crashed her car while trying to flee her husband. The ABC drama picks up the story in Sunday's episode, with Edie mourned by her Wisteria Lane neighbors.

    Cherry told TV Guide that the show has been under pressure to cut costs, with the magazine estimating that Sheridan's departure will save up to 200,000 U.S. dollars per episode. Cherry also says in TV Guide's April 20 issue that Edie's story and sexual escapades had run their course.