Before Meghan Markle secured her role on “Suits” — and captivated Prince Harry’s heart — the actress who later became a duchess appeared as a briefcase model on the popular Howie Mandel-hosted game show “Deal or No Deal.”

During Season 2 of the show, Markle stood alongside and displayed a case in a format where contestants selected from 26 briefcases containing possible cash rewards and negotiated with a “banker” to accumulate as much money as possible, all while being a step away from risking it all.

In the subsequent years, Markle took on her career-defining role on “Suits,” portraying paralegal/lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons. Nonetheless, her acting career is largely overshadowed by her marriage to one of the world’s most renowned men. Her stint on “Deal or No Deal” likely contributed to her ascent to becoming a household name.

From 2006 to 2007, Markle was featured as a briefcase model on “Deal or No Deal,” where she held a numbered case for 34 episodes during Season 2 of the show. She ultimately became the most renowned briefcase model from the show, despite her time there being relatively unnoticed.

Mirroring the exaggerated style of modeling on “The Price Is Right,” identical Stepford Wife-like models on “Deal or No Deal” stood beside their briefcases. When spotlighted, they would smile and reveal the potential prize money hidden inside the eagerly awaited case.

Although Markle only appeared in a single season, the show ran for eight seasons in various formats, including the original one-hour primetime series on NBC, a half-hour syndicated version, and a 2018 revival. All were hosted by Mandel, who has stated in interviews that he doesn’t recall Markle being on the show and hasn’t maintained contact with her.

Meghan Markle has discussed feeling objectified and treated like a “bimbo” while appearing on “Deal or No Deal,” most recently digging into that aspect of her past on the “Archetypes” podcast that she launched since becoming a duchess. Despite those feelings, though, she admits that the show did help launch her career.

As a struggling actress, Markle says she took the job to pay bills and have health insurance. But as a Northwestern University graduate with a double major in theater and international studies, the frivolous job left her with a “pit” in her stomach. “There were times when I was on set at ‘Deal or No Deal’ and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the Secretary of Treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brain,” she said. “Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite.”

In the end, Markle ended up having the last laugh after leveraging her time on the lightweight game show to become one of the most well-known faces on the planet.