“It has had a pretty big impact on my life”

Spencer Grammer discusses the hand injury she sustained two years ago in New York’s East Village.

In July 2020, 39-year-old Grammer was slashed by a drunk man at The Black Ant restaurant. The knife-wielding attacker began fighting a male diner – and Grammer and her friend attempted to stop the fight.

Now, Kelsey Grammer’s daughter shares both the emotional and physical toll the incident had on her.

“Honestly, I shouldn’t have tried to help,” Grammer recently told People Magazine. “But there was no knife involved in the first place. It was basically like any normal fight.

“I didn’t see the person with the knife, so it’s difficult to say what really happened. Other people said what they saw, so it was all about testimonies,” she added.

At the time, Grammer said in a statement she had done “what anyone else would do in the same situation,” and that “several others” were also trying to intervene.

Police have never arrested the suspect, and the ‘Rick and Morty’ actress “doubts” they ever will.

“The crazy thing is that things like this happen so quickly. It all happened within minutes,” she said.

The incident forever changed the way Grammer views public arguments, and she admitted she will always be a little scared now.

“I think you’re just one of those guys running to help, aren’t you,” she said. “It’s just in you. And I would probably do the same thing again if I went back in time. Although it has affected my life quite a bit.”

But the cuts left her with more than just fear — it also had a physical impact on her.

“I had a bad hand injury,” she said, adding that her median nerve and two tendons were severed. “I’ve never really talked about it. But everyone else who wrote about it at the time was wrong.”

Grammer shared that the injury was so bad that her 11-year-old son, Emmett, had to tie her shoelaces for six months.

“I am only now satisfied to be able to go back to work and achieve the level of productivity I would like to have. I had to go through a crazy rehab after my surgery,” she said.

Despite the trauma, Grammer is still grateful for everything she has.

“S—t happens to everyone, and in the scheme of things it was tiny. I still have one hand that works and I’m fine. I will be fine and there are many other people dealing with much worse and much worse situations.”

Her latest project is the Lifetime film The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, which marks her first time doing physical labor since her injury — and the first time she’s ever worked with her father.

While Grammer was having “so much fun” on set, she was still struggling due to her injury.

“I still have no feeling in most of my hands. Sometimes I can’t button things or put an earring on. So there was always this worry that I had to do something on set and I couldn’t make it,” she shared.

Grammer added that it was “wonderful” to be able to spend time with her dad while they were making the film — though the pair haven’t always had the best relationship.

The “Frasier” star admitted he had “regrets” when it came to raising her and he “let her down”.

“It’s been hard for us,” Kelsey told People of his life during his divorce. “I’m sorry, but I’m also grateful that we had the chance to make amends.”

He also noted that he found filming the film “healing” for him and his daughter.

The 12 Days of Christmas Eve premieres Saturday, November 26th at 8pm ET on Lifetime.