Eva Longoria Parker is citing her Desperate Housewives character needs as the reason for her new look, PEOPLE reports.

Eva Longoria Parker explains weight gain

According to her rep, Eva is reflecting a change in her on-screen character Gabrielle — who goes from her usual sex kitten to an over-worked housewife with kids in season five. “She’s making herself look like that as her character has let herself go. Gabrielle has gained weight and cut her hair,” Liza Anderson tells PEOPLE of Longoria Parker’s character. “She’s a worn out mother with two kids.” Longoria Parker was pictured on a European vacation — notably on a yacht off the coast of Italty — looking larger than normal. “And even that was not enough. She’s also wearing butt pads and a stomach pad to play the part.”

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