Kim Delaney speaks before former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates receives the Liberty Medal during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 in Philadelphia. - Provided courtesy of WPVI

Kim Delaney of 'Army Wives' talks about bizarre speech, viral video

03/12/2012 by Corinne Heller

Kim Delaney of the Lifetime show "Army Wives" says she "wasn't feeling great" when she gave an awkward, slurred speech at a military ceremony last year, which became a viral video.

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'Army Wives' actress Kim Delaney escorted off-stage during slurred tribute speech

The 53-year-old actress had spoken in September in Philedelphia at the Liberty Medal Ceremony for former defense secretary Robert Gates.

"I wasn't feeling great ... there were technical problems," Delaney told Entertainment Weekly. "I was prepared, but it didn't come out that way. It was like the perfect storm for something to go wrong. And then it goes viral! There's just nothing you can do [but] deal with it, right?"

Her speech was written in the voice of her "Army Wives" character Claudia Joy Holden and contained lines such as "I've seen soldiers come home with painful life altering injuries borne of their time and service, I've attended numerous military funerals, including that of my best friend's son."

Delaney then told the audience, shakily: "It's all make believe. I do that as a job. It's make believe, I have the luxury to do all of this on a television show."

The actress slurred much of her speech before being escorted off stage by a woman wearing a headset. (Watch a video of Kim Delaney's awkward speech at the military ceremony, courtesy of WPVI Television, sister station of KABC Television, parent company of OnTheRedCarpet.com.)

The actress has a history of substance abuse and was arrested in 2002 for suspicion of drunk driving after she refused to take a breathalyzer test. She has also had two stints in rehab. It is unclear if she was under the influence of any substances when she gave her speech.

The sixth season of "Army Wives" premiered on March 4. Delaney is also known for her previous role as Detective Diane Russell on ABC's "NYPD Blue," which earned her an Emmy Award.

She also played Jenny Gardner on the ABC daytime drama, "All My Children," which ended its run on September 23 after more than 40 years on air. Susan Lucci, a veteran actress of the soap opera, is set to reunite with Delaney on "Army Wives." Entertainment Weekly reported that she will play the wife of a retired brigadier general who befriends Delaney's character and will appear in at least three episodes.