Mariska Hargitay On Her Health & Whether She's Returning To ‘SVU'

It's been a rough few months for "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay, who suffered from a partially collapsed lung earlier this year. At last night's Joyful Heart Foundation Gala in New York City, however, Mariska said she is doing well.

"I feel great," Mariska told Access Hollywood about her current health state. "I've bounced back [after I] had a scary couple of months."

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Mariska underwent surgery in January and was briefly hospitalized in March due to the partially collapsed lung, but she returned to work earlier this spring and now says she is doing well.

"I feel really good and really strong," Mariska told Access on the red carpet for the event, which supports her Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to help survivors of assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

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Mariska was also positive about her hopes that she and "SVU" co-star Christopher Meloni will return to their primetime drama. According to reports, the two have asked for raises before signing on for next season.

"I hope so," Mariska told Access about coming back to the crime show. "We're all trying to work it out and I have a lot of faith it's going to work out."

Christopher also said he was hoping things will allow him to return to "SVU."

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"At this point it's out of my hands," he said. "It's a good vibe on the set. We love each other. We all love each other. We're still happy with the stories that we're telling and you know, we'll see how it works out."

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