Nothing can keep Susan Lucci down for long, whether it's a heart attack or gravity.
A day after revealing she nearly died of a heart attack in the fall, the soap opera legend took a tumble on the runway at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women fashion show on Thursday and got right back to her feet with a smile.
Lucci, 72, stepped on part of her elaborate red dress on the runway at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and plopped to her backside.
Former NBC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo tweeted out a video of the scene, noting that Lucci showed "tremendous grace" in recovering from the flub.
Lucci had a sense of humor about it, getting back to her feet and blowing kisses to the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation.
Her tumble came a day after the longtime "All My Children" star revealed to People magazine that she is "lucky to be alive" after undergoing emergency heart surgery in the fall.
She had been experiencing shortness of breath while shopping in Manhasset, New York, and was taken to an emergency room, where a CT scan revealed she was having a heart attack, often referred to as a "widowmaker."
There was a 90 percent blockage in her heart’s main artery and a 70 percent blockage in another area.
Lucci had a pair of stents put into her arteries to increase blood flow back to the heart, and her doctor told People that her heart is now "pumping as good as when she was born."
In the aftermath of her heart attack, she signed on to become a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign to raise awareness about heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.
She was participating in the fashion show on Thursday in that capacity when she handled her minor mishap with aplomb.
Lucci is using her platform to educate others, particularly during February since it's American Heart Health Month.
"I’m not a nurse or anyone who can help in any real way," she told People. "This is the way I can help. I can tell my story. Everyone’s symptoms are different but I felt compelled to share mine. Even if it’s one person I help. That is someone’s life."
