New York Fashion Week got off to a heart-pumping start this morning with The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection Fashion Show.

Sponsored by Diet Coke, the event, held at the tents in Bryant Park and now in its fifth year, recruits celebrities and designers to help raise awareness for heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women in America. And — surprise! — we were backstage to see all the hustle and bustle, and, of course, talk to as many celebrities as we could!

Click here to see some shots from today’s fashion show. 

We first approached the wonderful Jane Kaczmarek, whom we interviewed earlier this week. Though certainly excited to be a part of the action, the actress was also thrilled for another reason: meeting Susan Lucci, the "All My Children" actress who was repeatedly snubbed for Daytime Emmy Awards. Asked who she wanted to most meet, Kaczmarek didn’t hesitate:

I haven’t met her yet, but Susan Lucci’s over there. You know, I was nominated seven consecutive times for the Emmy and never won, so people always say, “Oh, you’re like Susan Lucci!” She may be the shortest person here, and I may be the tallest, but other than that, we have a lot in common!

We don’t know if Jane received her wish, but we definitely got some face time with Lucci, who explained to us that she has always wanted to walk in the show, but her shooting schedule restricted her. This year, however, she made a point of getting involved and revealed her personal motivation: 

My grandmother, who I absolutely loved, who lived with us until she died when I was a little girl, actually died of a heart attack. I was very close to her. She was fabulous, and she remains one of my inspirations and I thought it was unusual that she died of a heart attack, because she was a woman.

In fact, nearly all of the celebrities we spoke with expressed their shock and disbelief at the prevalence of heart disease among women. Actress Nia Long, who’s best known for her role in "Soul Food," remarked, "You oftentimes think of men having heart attacks. I think we automatically associate heart attacks with male energy."

She went on to stress the importance of a healthy diet and maintaining peace of mind, for, she says, "All of those things come into play with regard to heart health. Our hearts are at the center of our being, so if everything else is out of whack, I would imagine that your heart would be out of whack, too." Wise words, indeed.

Though most of the women were unaware of heart disease’s deadly scope prior to the event, Lynda Carter’s well-versed in the issue. And, like a real-life Wonder Woman, took the argument for awareness one step forward. Most medicines, she rightly pointed out, are tested on men, which leaves women woefully vulnerable: 

I’ve been aware of the problem of women and heart disease for a long time. There hasn’t been enough research done on the effects of medication on women and their hearts. Women don’t react the same as men do. Most drugs that are on the market are tested on men, not women, so we not only need to raise awareness, but we have to be demanding that more research is done on these medications. Oftentimes these tests are easier when you don’t have to consider women’s hormone variants — so that’s easier, but it kind of defeats the purpose.