SVU star going on leave

As police drama star Mariska Hargitay prepares to go on maternity leave, Law & Order: SVU has found a temporary replacement for her.

Connie Nielsen, best known for her role in Gladiator, will appear in six episodes of the series.

Hargitay's pregnancy won't be written into SVU, so that will mean that her character, Detective Olivia Benson, will be written out of those episodes.