Desperate Housewives alum Felicity Huffman is delighted to be appearing in London’s West End in the comedy Hir after a long dry period. “I’m grateful to be here,” says Felicity. “But how am I? I guess I’m still processing.”

Five years after she pleaded guilty to paying a proctor to inflate her older daughter’s college-entrance scores, Felicity, 61, who paid a $30,000 fine, performed community service and served 11 days in jail, still has a difficult time getting hired. “It’s been hard. Sort of like your old life died and you died with it. I’m lucky enough to have a family and love and means, so I had a place to land,” she admits. “Some people have been kind and compassionate. Others have not.”

Family First

In the aftermath of the scandal, Felicity’s first concern was for her daughters. “She felt so much guilt for what it did to her family,” says a friend, who notes that Felicity’s two daughters with actor William H. Macy have worked hard to put the public embarrassment behind them. Sophia, 23, who had no advance knowledge of her mother’s scheme, retook the exam and was accepted to Carnegie Mellon University’s theater program. Meanwhile, her sister, Georgia, 21, is expected to graduate from Vassar College this spring. “As long as my kids are well and my husband is well, I feel like I’m well,” says Felicity.

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As she takes the stage, Felicity is aware that everyone in the audience is judging her. Now that she’s admitted her guilt and paid her penalty, she’d like to be given a second chance at the career she has always loved. “Felicity is hoping that by returning to the stage overseas there will be slightly less fanfare and that audiences will be more receptive to her,” explains the friend. “She wants to prove her acting chops. In many ways, she feels like this is a new beginning.”