Abigail

6 Things to Know About Abigail Spencer, Meghan Markle's Close Friend and Former Suits Costar

From Town & Country

During Meghan Markle's quick trip to New York, she's spent quite a lot of time palling around with actress Abigail Spencer-grabbing a bite to eat at Café Boulud, getting a dose of culture at the Met Breuer. Here's what we know about Spencer, Meghan's longtime friend.

They were costars on Suits, but they actually met a long before the show.

Spencer told ET that they first met at an audition, over a decade before Meghan's royal wedding. "I saw her and was like, 'Who is this gorgeous girl?'" she said of meeting Meghan. "She was just so stunning and there was just something about her, and that's how we met."

Later, they would bond during the filming of Suits, with Spencer played Dana "Scottie" Scott and Meghan played Rachel Zane. Spencer even contributed to the Tig, Meghan's since-discontinued lifestyle blog.

Photo credit: USA Network - Getty Images

MoreThe actress was also invited to Meghan and Prince Harry's royal wedding last year.

Spencer was spotted entering the church alongside Priyanka Chopra, another one of Meghan's famous pals. She's been secretive about what it was like to attend the event, but she did drop a hint as to what she gave Meghan as a wedding gift. "I think what [Harry and Meghan] would love is [for people] to donate to one of the charities that they are involved in," she said to ET.

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

MoreShe has a lot in common with her royal friend.

"We were born on the same day, hours apart, in the same year," Spencer told ET. "[Meghan is] a trusted friend and one of the most glorious people I have ever met."

She also told People that she shared an aesthetic sense with the Duchess. "She has incredible taste, she has really influenced my fashion and taste," Spencer said. "We have a lot of similarities in what we like."

Spencer has had a successful career in TV acting, and has even crossed over into writing.

She started her career on All My Children in 1998, and has since had recurring roles on Mad Men, True Detective, Timeless, and Suits-the last of which is currently airing its final season.

In the early years, before her acting career really took off, "I felt like the best thing I could do was start writing for myself," she told the Wrap. "So I started writing and I ended up selling a pilot during that time."

In her free time, she surfs and hangs out with her son.

Spencer's son Roman, who's currently in fifth grade, even joins her on set sometimes. "I got him to come to set the other day and he wanted to go do hair and makeup with me," she told Parade. "So he got a wig put on, and bruises and cuts put on his face... So when he came to set, I was like, 'Okay, we’ve got to put you to work.' He sat by a video village. He looked like a little savant director with his headphones on. He gave his direction and his feedback after the take."

When she's not working, she's often off surfing, and has made trips to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Hawaii to do so.

She might be tied into the royal family in another way.

When Parade asked her if she was related to any British Spencers-say, Princess Diana-the actress responded, "That’s so funny. My grandmother swears [we are], but I’ve never done any digging. I did meet a lot of Spencers [in England] and I am a Spencer, so who knows?"

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Abigail Kopf shot by Michigan Uber driver has no childhood memories and still doesn't 'feel normal'

The youngest survivor of the Michigan Uber driver shootings three years ago cannot remember her childhood and longs to feel 'normal' again.

But Abigail Kopf is grateful to be alive after a woman, who was like a grandmother to her, pushed her down in a move that she believes saved her life.

The girl – who was 14 years old when Jason Dalton fatally shot six people and injured two survivors in between jobs for the ride-sharing app February 20, 2016 – speaks out in Friday's two-hour The Deadly Ride 20/20 special airing on ABC 9/8 Central time.

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Abigail Kopf says she cannot remember her childhood and longs to feel 'normal' again after the Michigan Uber driver shootings three years ago, in a 20/20 special titled The Deadly Ride

Friday's two-hour show reveals 'there's only a few things' Kopf can remember after being shot in the head in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel in Kalamazoo February 20, 2016

New interviews and fresh details from victims and those who were there appear on the show.

'There's only a few things' Kopf can remember after being shot in the head in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel.

She was with Barbara Hawthorne, 68, in Kalamazoo and the last thing Kopf remembers is seeing an acrobat show with the woman who died along with her three friends Mary Jo Nye, 60, Mary Lou Nye, 62, and Dorothy 'Judy' Brown, 74.

'There was this Chinese person who was climbing up chairs. He kept stacking them and doing like, summersaults and stuff, handstands on the chair. And finally he got so high that everyone screamed,' Kopf says.

Other than that her memory is 'long gone'.

'I almost died,' she says about Hawthorne. 'If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here.'

She was 14 years old when Jason Dalton fatally shot six people and injured two survivors in between jobs for the ride-sharing app. He is pictured January 7 when he pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced life in prison

Kopf was with Barbara Hawthorne, 68, and the last thing she remembers is seeing an acrobat show. The woman, who was like a grandmother to her, pushed her down in the shooting incident which she believes saved her life

Kopf says her childhood memories before Dalton (pictured) injured her are 'long gone'

Kopf says she 'almost died' in the Cracker Barrel parking lot if it wasn't for Hawthorne

Kopf says she has an 80 per cent chance of making a full recovery but 'can't ride a normal bike' and 'can't do cartwheels like I used to yet'.

Living with a service pig named Snuffles, she hopes one day to work with animals.

Her mother Vicki is also interviewed in the show and revealed how she initially told doctors performing CPR to turn her daughter's life support machine off.

She received the devastating news about her daughterin a phone call and rushed to hospital. She was preparing to say goodbye to her teenage girl but was surprised to hear a heartbeat as she lay her head on her chest.

'The nurse said "Holy crap". She was smacking buttons on the wall and people were flying back in and they had her all hooked back up again,' Vicki tells 20/20.

'At that point I knew right there she was back, and that she was going to fight like holy hell.'

Kopf added: 'My mom was a basket case. She sat on my bed the whole eight days, five days, however long I was in a coma. She didn't sleep, she didn't eat, she didn't drink. She just sat there and waited for me to wake up.'

She says when her daughter woke and asked what happened to her she would cry when she head the answer. But the teen would forget, ask again and cry more. 

Kopf's mother Vicki (right) is also interviewed in the show and revealed how she initially told doctors performing CPR to turn off her daughter's life support machine then heard a heartbeat

Kopf suffered a fractured skull and underwent surgery to have a plastic plate inserted. Doctors had to take it out due to an infection

Hawthorne's three friends (from left to right) Mary Jo Nye, 60, Mary Lou Nye, 62, and Dorothy 'Judy' Brown, 74, were also killed

It was six months until she could return home. 

Kopf suffered a fractured skull head and underwent surgery to have a plastic plate inserted. Doctors had to take it out due to an infection.

However she has defied the odds and can walk, talk and eat although her brain surgeon predicted she would not be able to again.

The survivor added about her shooter, who gunned down Richard Smith, 53, and his 17-year-old son, Tyler, at a car dealership in the area: 'Sometimes I [think I'd] like to trade places with him, to where he could have the gunshot wound and I could be normal.'

Dalton, 48, was given a life sentence earlier this month after pleading guilty to murder and attempted murder.

Survivor Tiana Carruthers, who was shot and wounded in a residential area, also speaks on the show.

Tiana Carruthers, who was shot and wounded in a residential area, also speaks on the show

Tyler Smith (right) and his father Rich were killed in the parking lot of the Seelye Kiacar dealership while they were looking at cars

Abigail Spencer Arrives to Meghan Markle's Baby Shower Holding Blue Gift Bag

Duchess Meghan Markle is reportedly throwing her baby shower today (February 19) in New York City and one of her guests, former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, may have given a clue to the sex of the baby!

The 37-year-old actress carried a blue gift bag inside the rumored event, and fans are wondering…are the Duchess and Prince Harry expecting a baby boy!? We may only find out the answer after the Duchess gives birth in late April.

The Duchess’ baby shower news broke this week after she was spotted in the Big Apple on her secret trip.