Ugly Betty shelved in the US

Ugly Betty is reportedly being taken off the air in March by US TV network ABC.

E Online reports the award-winning hit US comedy - starring America Ferrera and produced by Salma Hayek - is to be shelved on March 26 to make way for the return of Christina Applegate's Samantha Who? and the launch of a new comedy called In the Motherhood, starring Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines, in the 8pm Thursday slot.

Ugly Betty has seen a fall in ratings this season. It began with an audience of about eight million at the start of the current third series, but then consistently lost around one million viewers each week, sinking as low as 3.6 million.

This month, it managed to regain popularity, rising back up to 7.5 million, but - with audience figures for last year reaching nine million - that wasn't enough to save it.

But at the SAG Awards on Sunday, Betty star America was keen to spill the beans about what is coming up in the three-year-old show.

She revealed: "Someone turns very evil - an unexpected person. Like, just your general back-stabbing and lies. Just another day on Ugly Betty!"

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