Teri Garr Proves She's Come a Long Way, Baby!

Sat., Apr. 14, 2007 9:14 PM PDT by by Marc Malkin

Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

Brava to Teri Garr!

In a town where no one likes to leave the house looking less than perfect, with their dyed hair, fake boobs, rail-thin bodies and pulled faces, Garr showed everyone what real beauty is last night, when she was wheeled onto the stage at Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger's Race to Erase MS gala in Los Angeles.

Garr is wheelchair bound because of the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis.

But the funnylady showed the world she hasn't lost her humor.

"I’ve learned a lot from being diagnosed with MS," she said. "One of the things I learned is I hate the letters M-S. That includes the "MS" in MSNBC, not to mention PMS, and I certainly took the Ms. off the front of my name. I now go as your Royal Highness Teri Garr."

Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com

Hosted by Davis and Hilfiger, the 14th annual Race to Erase raised funds for the Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis.

The night included a Hilfiger fashion show, with celebrity models like brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Ian Ziering, Desperate Housewives’ Andrea Bowen, Lisa Rinna, Holly Robinson Peete, Cris Judd and my E! News cohort Giuliana DePandi and her fiancé, Apprentice winner Bill Rancic. Nicole Richie and Nicky Hilton opened the show.

And Richie looked good. I am not just saying this because her Simple Life show airs here at E! I can honestly say she doesn’t look nearly as gaunt as others would like us to believe. Yes, she can appear severely skinny and bony in paparazzi photos, but that's not how she looks in real life.

Carol Kaelson/ABC

Speaking of weight, I sat at the same table with Joey Fatone and his Dancing with the Stars partner, Kym Johnson. He’s been shedding mucho pounds since he started competing in the dancing reality show. Not only has he been dieting with NutriSystem but, he said, "Kim kicks my ass."

Fatone and Johnson appear to be getting along very well. They were with Fatone’s parents (who were in from Florida), and at one point during the evening, the former 'N Syncer leaned over and kissed Johnson on the back of her neck.

The Goo-Goo Dolls, Earth Wind & Fire, the Bombshell Babes and Donna Summer performed. But before they hit the stage, Tom Arnold left the crowd bewildered with his bizarre—and very sweaty—behavior, when he and Ross the Intern from The Tonight Show hosted the live auction.

If you haven’t read my item about Arnold's shenanigans, click here.