Eva Longoria Says Felicity Huffman Dealt With College Admissions Scandal With ‘Grace’ (Exclusive)

Eva Longoria still has a lot of love and appreciation for her former Desperate Housewives co-star Felicity Huffman.

While Huffman has been something of an embattled public figure in recent months due to her involvement in the high-profile and controversial college admissions scandal, Longoria says that she thinks the actress dealt with the situation and subsequent media scrutiny in the best way possible.

Longoria spoke with ET’s Nischelle Turner on Wednesday at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Annual Grants Banquet at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, where the actress joined a number of other Hollywood figures who have spoken out in support of Huffman in recent weeks.

“I think she has a heart that is bigger than the sun and that’s the Felicity I know and that’s the woman I choose to support and love,” Longoria shared. “She was humbled by what happened and I think she did handle it with as much grace as she could in that situation.”

Huffman formally pleaded guilty for her part in a massive college admissions scam during a tearful court appearance back in May. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.

According to the lengthy indictment ET obtained in March, Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to help get her and husband William H. Macy’s eldest daughter, 19-year-old Sofia, into an elite college by cheating on the SAT.

Meanwhile, Longoria was in attendance at the star-studded HFPA gala on Wednesday to lend her support to the organization’s philanthropic endeavors. This year, that included giving out over $3.8 million to 74 different entertainment-related non-profits, scholarship programs and humanitarian groups.

“This is one of my favorite nights,” Longoria shared. “It’s unlike the Golden Globes, which is [about] all the glamour and glitz. This is about the work that they do behind the scenes for the scholarships and the grants that they give out. Really, the Golden Globes night is [actually] about tonight. It’s about raising that money so they can do what they’re doing tonight.”

Longoria took the stage at the event alongside This Is Us star Justin Harley to accept a grant on behalf of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Lollipop Theater Network — an organization that facilitates the screening of movies currently in theaters for hospitalized children across the country — as well as several other worthy groups. The black tie gala, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, also included appearances from Taron Egerton, James Corden, Kerry Washington, Rob Lowe, Jamie Bell, Renée Zellweger, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jon Favreau and Taika Waititi to name a few.

“They joined together to make a difference, and [the event] does draw a lot of people because it’s a really fun dinner. We get to socialize with each other and it’s not as much pressure as the Golden Globes,” Longoria joked.