Heidi Gardner in 2024.Photo:Brianne Wills
Brianne Wills
Heidi Gardnerwasn’t ready to let go.
“This has probably been the one thing in my life that I’ve been in the most denial of that could end,” she says of her relationship with Marshall. “There’s a bodega cat down the street from me who’s 24, and Marshall was 17, so I was like, ‘Okay, I have seven more years.'”
But the actress knew she had to be there when the time came. “The thing about Marshall that was so wonderful, and why he was like the best companion ever, is he had these beautiful big blue eyes, and he would just stare,” she explains. “I’ve never made better eye contact, even with a human being, as I did with my cat.”
While being in the room with him “sounded so sad and scary,” Gardner knew her cat “deserved someone to be looking in his eyes the way that he did for years with me,” she adds. “He was on this planet for a long time, just giving love, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I’m like, God, I am so glad we were looking at each other. And I hope he was in peace.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Gardner shared Marshall’s story with the magazine for PEOPLE’s One Last Thing. Read on to see what else the comedian had to say and for more celeb news, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, available on newsstands now.
Last moment of self-care
I’ve been doing infrared saunas to the point where I’m thinking I need to put one in my apartment. It’s cold outside, so I feel like I’m shaking up my body.
Last obsession
Last thing I took from the set
Every so often, I’ll take a cue card. Right now, they’re all in my dressing room in a stack. I should definitely frame some of them.
Last time I was starstruck
I was walking today in Brooklyn and sawMatt Damon. We worked together onSNLa few years ago, but I didn’t say anything. I just walked away with the biggest smile.
Saturday Night Liveairs on NBC at 11:30/10:30c.
source: people.com
