![DIANA CANOVA](https://newsfeed.time.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2013/07/118348996.jpg?w=260)
Diana Canova on an episode of ABC's TV show., "Barney Miller" titled "Strip Joint" that aired November 1, 1979.
A member of Scientology before she became a TV star, Diana Canova was suddenly showered with attention by the Church after she found fame on the ‘70s sitcom Soap. According to a 1993 interview with Premiere magazine, Scientology’s Celebrity Centre was eager to utilize her new status and famous friends to expand its ranks. Canova eventually grew suspicious of the Church, finding its increasing expensive “auditing” sessions suspect and incongruous with the doctrine against overpriced psychologists. It took years to defect, but Canova eventually decided to quit the religion after overcoming her fears of reprisal from other Scientologists.