We first met the Desperate Housewives of Wisteria Lane in 2004 and watched their lives unfold for eight seasons until 2012. The hit series followed a group of housewives as they navigated the dramas of suburbia, marriage, motherhood and friendship.
While the show featured some seriously epic storylines (we're talking dead bodies in freezers and babies swapped at birth), there were also a lot of v hilarious moments, and we still return to the series time and time again.
Although it's been almost 10 years since the show came to an end, luckily all episodes are now available to binge on Disney+. So, to celebrate, we decided to take a look at what the cast of the iconic show have been up to since it first aired - from Eva Longoria, Brenda Strong and Vanessa Williams, to some of the lesser known cast members - and there are a fair few that might surprise you.
Gabrielle Solis, a fiery former model turned shopaholic housewife, was perhaps the most iconic character of them all. We watched as she went from having a secret affair with her gardener to raising two diva daughters, all whilst wearing *the* most fashionable outfits on the show.
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Eva Longoria in 2020
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After Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria went on to have a successful acting career, starring in multiple TV shows and movies, including Devious Maids and Jane the Virgin. Longoria also launched her own clothing line and is a founding member of Time's Up, a charity which raises money to support victims of sexual harassment.
She married husband José Bastón in 2016, with the pair sharing their adorable three-year-old son, Santiago.
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Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp
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Bree Van de Kamp wanted nothing more than to be the perfect housewife and have the perfect life. Unfortunately for Bree, her family really didn't play along, and we followed as she dealt with a fake pregnancy, the murder of her husband and so much more.
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Marcia Cross in 2016
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Since starring as Bree Van de Kamp, Cross appeared in an episode of Law & Order: SVU, and then joined ABC's Quantico. In 2018 she revealed she had battled anal cancer, but was successfully in remission.
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Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer
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Susan Mayer really did pull the short straw when it came to sad storylines. Not only was her house set on fire, but her husband Mike died in her arms after being shot on their doorstep. Talk about tragic.
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Teri Hatcher in 2020
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Contrary to what we saw on-screen, Hatcher did not get along with her costars IRL, and they've basically been feuding ever since. After the show ended, Teri went on to have a few recurring roles on TV, and also voiced Dottie in the Disney animated film Planes, and its sequel. She also competed in season one of the BBC's Great Celebrity Bake Off!
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Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo
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When we say Lynette Scavo had a lot on her plate, we mean a lot. As well as raising five kids (including two very mischievous twin boys), Lynette dealt with a bout of cancer and and was kidnapped by a murderous teen. Give this woman a medal!
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Felicity Huffman in 2019
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Following her time on the series, Huffman earned three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in American Crime. She then went on to star in the series Get Shorty and When They See Us. But, in 2019 the actress made headlines when she was accused of paying someone $15,000 to take a college entry exam for her daughter. Huffman pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and was sentenced to 14 days in jail.
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Nicolette Sheridan as Edie Britt
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Described as the "most predatory divorcée" by the show's narrator, Edie Britt certainly spiced things up on Wisteria Lane. Despite her many schemes, affairs and scandals, Edie's death in series five came as one of the biggest shocks across the whole show. But Edie herself put it best when she said, "She died just the way she lived. The complete and utter centre of attention."
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Nicolette Sheridan in 2019
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Sheridan's character was killed off in series five amidst rising tensions between her and the show's creator, Marc Cherry. The situ resulted in an unsuccessful $20 million wrongful termination lawsuit. Lawsuit aside, Sheridan starred in a number of Hallmark movies, as well as the TV show, Dynasty.
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Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young
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Mary Alice Young died by suicide in episode one of the show, and much of the first series focussed on the events that lead up to her death. She was also the show's omnipresent narrator, and although she voiced all eight seasons, Mary Alice only appeared on-screen in a few flashbacks.
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Brenda Strong in 2017
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After Desperate Housewives wrapped up, Strong went on to play Ann Ewing in the remake of Dallas. She also had a recurring role in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, and starred in Scandal, The 100, Walking Dead and All Rise.
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Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis
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Gabrielle's husband Carlos was quite the bad guy. Not only did he switch out her birth control pills to trick her into getting pregnant, he's also sent to prison for hate crimes against two gay men. Later in the show he loses his sight after being hit on the head during a tornado.
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Ricardo Antonio Chavira in 2018
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After his stint as Carlos on DH, Chavira had recurring roles in Scandal, Jane the Virgin and The Santa Clarita Diet. In 2019, when costar Huffman was found guilty in the college admissions scandal, Chavira took to Twitter to express his disappointment at the short sentence. In tweets that were later deleted, he wrote (via Independent) “White Privilege. And I saw eight years’ worth of it, so I know what I’m talking about. Accountability and responsibility don’t mean s**t to these people.”
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Steven Culp as Rex Van de Kamp
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Bree's first husband, Rex, dies in season one after being poisoned by George the pharmacist, who was in love (read: obsessed) with Bree. Rex makes several on screen appearances in flashbacks throughout the show, and also narrates an episode from beyond the grave in season three.
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Steven Culp in 2019
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Culp appeared on a number of well-known TV shows after DH, including NCIS, Criminal Minds, How to Get Away with Murder and American Horror Story: 1984. Most recently he starred as the attorney in Netflix's hit series, Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.
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James Denton as Mike Delfino
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Mike Delfino was the *official* hottie of Wisteria Lane and first moved to the area in search of his missing wife. Later in the series he marries Susan Mayer and they have a son together. But the couple unfortunately don't get their happy ever after, and Mike is murdered on his doorstep by a loan shark after trying to help out a neighbour.
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James Denton in 2015
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Following his time as Mike on Desperate Housewives, Denton went on to star in the TV adaption of The Good Witch, and also had a recurring role on Devious Maids.
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Doug Savant as Tom Scavo
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Lynette's husband Tom has a major midlife crisis in season three which leads to one failed pizzeria business and a broken marriage. Tom finds love with another woman, but after a year apart, he and Lynette decide to reconcile.
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Doug Savant in 2020
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After appearing on all eight seasons of DH, Savant kept busy with roles in popular TV shows including Criminal Minds, 9-1-1, Lucifer,NCIS and Dirty John.
Jade Biggs (she/her) is Cosmopolitan UK's Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. She also works on first-person features and investigative long-reads, taking a deep-dive into mental health, celebrity culture and women's rights. Jade has been a journalist and content writer for ten years, and has interviewed leading researchers and doctors, high-profile influencers and fitness experts. She is a cat mum to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter.