Kayla Wallace Says She'll 'Never' Say 'Goodbye' toWhen Calls the Heart,Teases Return After Season 11 Exit (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kayla Wallace in ‘When Calls the Heart’ season 10.Photo:Hallmark Channel / Courtesy Everett Collection

Kayla Wallace in WHEN CALLS THE HEART

Hallmark Channel / Courtesy Everett Collection

Never fear, Hearties —Kayla Wallaceis not closing the chapter onWhen Calls the Heart!

The Canadian actress, 31, starred as Fiona Miller on the Hallmark series from season 6 through season 10 buthad to bow out of the show’s eleventh seasonas filming forLandmanconflicted.

“It was definitely a schedule thing that wasn’t going to work out,” she tells PEOPLE of the “moving pieces” behind the scenes that prompted her character to be written out of season 11, which premiered in April.

“My husband’s on that show, so it’s still very much in my life,” she says, referring toKevin McGarry, whoshe married this summer. “And we’re friends with a lot of the cast.”

Kayla Wallace, Clayton Chitty, Kevin McGarry in ‘When Calls the Heart’ season 7.David Dolsen / Hallmark Channel / Courtesy Everett

WHEN CALLS THE HEART, from left: Kayla Wallace, Clayton Chitty, Kevin McGarry (Season 7, ep. 705, aired Mar. 22, 2020)

David Dolsen / Hallmark Channel / Courtesy Everett

In fact, as season 11 was filming last year — before she went to live in Texas for five months to filmLandman— Wallace reveals she was “on set so much.”

“I was literally there every other day because we were raising a puppy, so I would bring her out to the set,” she says.

After spending so much time in Hope Valley, albeit somewhat unofficially, Wallace teases that fans could see a familiar face onthe show’s upcoming season. “I might have an appearance on this season,” she says of season 12, which premieres Jan. 5.

Being on set not necessarily for work was a funny experience for Wallace, though. “I felt like I couldn’t really go to Crafty without [Kevin],” she jokes. “I was like, ‘Right, I’m just a visitor today.’ Although I totally did.”

“It’s one big family, that set,” she continues. “It’s such a great community that show, and we’re both very lucky that that show came into our lives. It brought us together, so we’re just very grateful for it.”

Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount+’s “Landman” at Paramount Theatre on November 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount+’s “Landman” at Paramount Theatre on November 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Reflecting onher relationship with McGarry— whoproposed in 2022, two years after they confirmed they were together — Wallace says the romance “wasn’t an immediate thing” when she met McGarry (a.k.a Constable Nathan Grant) on set in 2018.

“It was definitely stretched over many years that we were friends. But I think it’s pretty common that people meet on set, at least in our industry. I think we see it a lot,” she says. “But yeah, sometimes I think about, had I not got that audition or had he got that audition, would we know each other today?”

She adds, “We’re always just grateful that the cards played out the way they did, and that we got to work together.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When Calls the Heartseason 12 premieres Sunday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel, and new episodes ofLandmanpremiere Sundays on Paramount+.

source: people.com