Shelley became Charlie's newest Angel in 1979. After a long search for a replacement for departing cast member Kate Jackson, it was finally announced in late May of that year that Shelley had been chosen to join the cast as new Angel Tiffany Welles. Shelley was already a Supermodel by then, and was known all over the world as THE Charlie Girl. Fans worldwide were excited to see what this glamorous new Angel would bring to the show. "We hired her 40 percent from the screen test and 60 percent from the personality test," executive producer Aaron Spelling told TV Guide, "We decided she was a nice person with sparkle and intelligence." Soon-to-be-co-star Jaclyn Smith, who was consulted on the final selection, recommended Shelley. She said, "I selected her because she was spunky and a perfect fill-in for Kate." Her other future co-star Cheryl Ladd said, "Shelley seemed like a doll and we were going to have a lot of fun working together." And Shelley's debut episode "Love Boat Angels" topped the Nielsen ratings.
-the Angels talked to each other only when it was in the script-when one Angel emerged from her trailer in a stunning outfit, the others ran back to top it-that Shelley was so ugly in the morning before makeup that nobody would look at her-that she was going to be fired soon, so none of the previous rumors mattered anyhow.
