'Veep' was a lifesaver: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus says working on her hit show "Veep" helped her a lot during her battle with cancer.

The 58-year-old actor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 which led to a halt in production of the show's seventh and final season.

After undergoing treatment, Louis-Dreyfus went back to complete the shooting for the final season which bowed out in May this year.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor said the show was a great distraction from her health issues.

"I've had a lot of personal challenges, losses, dear ones in my family, my own battle with cancer," Louis-Dreyfus said.

She further said that she does not know how she would have handled it all "had I not had this really close intimate relationship with all of these people".

"We linked arms and we tried to do the most joyful funny thing possible as a team. It was like being on a sports team... and that was the most buoying thing, to constantly be coming back to. It really helped me.

"It gave me something to laser focus on during my illness, and I needed to laser focus (on something) beyond my illness, so it was a lifesaver," Louis-Dreyfus said.

"Veep" featured the actor as Selina Meyer, a fictional vice president of the US. The series follows Meyer and her team as they attempt to make their mark and leave a legacy without becoming mired in the day-to-day political games that define American politics.