ER Star Surprised by Pregnancy

October 30 -- Even though she plays a doctor on TV, ER's Ming-Na says her current pregnancy caught her unawares

"This was a surprise," she tells TV Guide. "Condoms don't always work."

The Hong Kong-born actress, who is due on Nov. 10, says she was nervous about telling the producers of the NBC drama about her condition.

No sweat, apparently. Not only were the execs "really supportive," but John Wells, the medical series' executive producer, told her, "I think you may have slept your way into a really good story line."

Ming-Na was one of the original cast members of the long-running Must-See TV staple but left the series in 1995 to join the cast of The Single Guy. She returned to ER last season, no doubt to help offset the steady flow of exiting regulars.

There's also another staff pregnancy to fit into story lines: Actress Alex Kingston is expecting her first child early next year.