Lori Loughlin made a rare public appearance to promote her return to When Calls the Heart.
The show’s Instagram page shared a clip of Loughlin, 61, speaking during the When Calls the Heart panel at the Hallmark Christmas Experience on Friday, December 12. Hallmark confirmed on December 2 that Loughlin will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton on When Calls the Heart seven years after exiting the show.
“It feels amazing [to return] and my girl [Erin Krakow] here has been championing this for a long time,” she told fans. “When did I find out, maybe like a month ago, two months ago, and I just want to thank everyone at Hallmark for being so loving and so welcoming … and this just feels incredible.”
People quoted Loughlin as saying that she was thrilled to be reuniting with When Calls the Heart’s “special cast.”
“[We have] such a special bond and it’s just so nice to be back with my family,” she added.
When Calls the Heart fans were undoubtedly thrilled when Hallmark recently confirmed that Loughlin is returning for six of season 14’s 12 episodes. (The new season of When Calls the Heart will be filmed next year and will air in 2027.)
“Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties,” Michelle Vicary, Hallmark Media’s head of programming, said in a statement on December 2. “At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of When Calls the Heart. We felt that season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story with her return to this beloved series.”
Lori Loughlin at Hallmark Christmas Experience Courtesy Hallmark Channel / Instagram
Loughlin’s TV comeback comes amid upheaval in her personal life. A spokesperson for the former Full House star confirmed to Us Weekly on October 2 that Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, had separated after nearly 28 years of marriage. (Loughlin and Giannulli, 62, share two daughters: Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose.)
“They are living apart now,” Loughlin’s rep told Us at the time. “There are no legal proceedings underway.”
Us subsequently learned that the former couple decided to separate after realizing they were “not on the same page.”
“People around Lori and Mossimo have known they have been going through a really hard time in the last year,” a source told Us in October. “This isn’t a shock to people around them. It has been a rough time for Lori. She is devastated.”
The insider added, “They will not reconcile — there is currently no chance — and will ultimately divorce.”
Later that month, Loughlin and Giannulli sold their home for nearly $15 million, which was below their initial asking price of $16.5 million. The 11,800-square-foot Hidden Hills mansion was designed with a modern farmhouse aesthetic, and features six bedrooms, a gym, a wine cellar and a home theater.
Elsewhere, John Stamos spoke out to defend his former Full House costar in the wake of her split. During an appearance on the “Good Guys” podcast, Stamos, 62, slammed Giannulli as a “a terrible narcissist” and insisted Loughlin had “put up with a lot over the years [with] this guy.”
“40 years I’ve known her,” Stamos said in the October podcast episode. “You can see through people after a few years. This woman’s a saint. I’m just heartbroken for her right now.”
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