‘When Calls the Heart’: Fiona’s Not Returning to Hope Valley — Will Kayla Wallace Be Back?
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the When Calls the Heart Season 11 premiere “When Stars Align.”]
Hearties returned to Hope Valley in the When Calls the Heart Season 11 premiere, but the episode revealed that not everyone is back for the new episodes.
Minnie (Natasha Burnett) is the one to tell Faith (Andrea Brooks) that Fiona (Kayla Wallace) sent a telegram that she loves working with her sister and the other Suffragettes, and with so much work still to be done securing women’s rights, she won’t be returning to Hope Valley.
It’s simply due to scheduling, star and executive producer Erin Krakow tells TV Insider as part of our weekly When Calls the Heart aftershow, Heart Beats (which you can watch here). “We love Kayla Wallace. We would love for her to be in every episode. Kayla had a really incredible opportunity on another TV series that films out of town [Landman]. We’re excited for her,” she says. (Wallace debuted on When Calls the Heart in Season 6.)
Hallmark Media
And Krakow hasn’t ruled out seeing Wallace again on the show. “We are hoping that we’ll be able to have Fiona back for some episodes,” she adds. “Who knows? But yeah, we truly, truly over the moon thrilled for Kayla.”
The premiere does address how not having Fiona around affects Faith, who admits that she’s lonely, especially seeing her friends making huge changes in their lives. But with how close a community Hope Valley is, it has to affect everyone else as well.
“Not to make it about Elizabeth, but look, she goes to the barbershop and Robert’s there. She’s not going to have Robert cut her hair,” Krakow jokes. “Yeah, it’s a very close community. I think people are really heartbroken over the fact that Fiona’s not around. And truthfully, we don’t have enough time in the episode to really dig into that. And so hopefully it doesn’t feel like people are in any way cavalier about her departure.”
Faith is the one who is especially struggling. “She’s got these two best girlfriends. She’s got Mei [Amanda Wong] who is pretty distracted by Hickam [Ben Rosenbaum] at the moment, and she’s got Fiona who’s now written to say that she’s left Hope Valley indefinitely. And so I think Faith is struggling a bit with that loneliness and kind of trying to figure out what her place is,” explains Krakow. “If Mei has this fun new romance and Fiona is really passionate about her work with the Suffragettes, what is it that’s going to really bring fulfillment to Faith’s life? Outside of obviously medicine, which is very important.”
What do you think of how the Season 11 premiere wrote out Fiona? Let us know in the comments section, below.
When Calls the Heart, Sundays, 9/8c, Hallmark Channel
For Hearties Only
Get absolutely everything about When Calls the Heart in your inbox!
Conversation29 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Comments are closed on this story.
-
B
I am so bummed Fiona isn’t on the series anymore! She is such a spirited character and a breath of fresh air. I was looking forward to seeing what she would be up to this season. I hope they are able to bring her back for a few episodes.
19
-
B
I am so disappointed and sad that Kayla Wallace is not in Season 11. Her character was so refreshing and she was like a breath of fresh air in every scene. Sure hope this is temporary.
17
-
R
Gonna miss her. I Hope she comes back, one of my favorites on this show.
11
-
O
I hate to see the departure of any regular character. It's very sad. Fiona was a lovely person, who brought a lot of energy and fun to the show. However, I wish her well in her new adventures. Still love to watch WCTH!
10
-
B
I'm so sad Fiona isn't back for Season 11, she's one of my favorites. I'm hoping she and Lucas will become a thing when/if she's able to rejoin the show. Congrats to Kayla on the new opportunity, but praying scheduling allows her to come back to Hope Valley.
7
-
R
Kayla, was a fresh face in the show! She had a fun and spunky personality. She was a person that always thought outside the box. I think her character is needed for the younger audience, to keep the show from being stale.
7 1
-
G
I feel terrible that Fiona is not in season 11, I think she a a wonderful addition to the show. I hope you bring her back in future episodes.
5
-
R
Do not like that Fiona has left the show. Just sad. Best character they had on the show. Definitely a void will be left in the show. If she isn't coming back, Lori Loughlin should be brought back.
8 4
-
P
Super bummed. Fiona was so fun to watch. She always seemed so upbeat and compassionate. I hope she makes special appearances once in a while. She is a great actress. I'm sure whoever snagged her up is blessed as well to have her.
3
-
O
I was surprised she wasn't there. I hope she returns soon. I like her character and the way the 3 ladies get along.
2
-
G
It would be nice if Daniel lissing came back in some capacity or how ever, even though he was killed off. What an exciting situation that could be!!!
4 2
-
O
I know the show can't help it when an actor doesn't want to come back. I am fond of Kayla Wallace and look forward to hearing more about her and Kevin McGarry, but still sad to see the change.
1
-
O
Very much enjoyed seeing Fiona on the series, and really hope she can come back. Also really miss Paul Greene's character. I do agree with some other comments that I would love to see Abigail return to the show, even if for a brief moment to give some closure to her character. I think after Henry's transformation, Abigail and he have a great chance for a relationship??!!??
1
-
C
I loved her character. She will be missed but they have not closed the door. I hope she does well in her new project.
1
-
R
I will really miss Fiona it seems like everytime we get invested in someone fun and feisty they leave and Fiona was a great character for the hope valley community.
1
-
O
I love Fiona. Her character brought that same kind if spirit as Abigail but in a different way. I really hope they both comeback.
1
-
O
Fiona will be missed but, sounds like she could be back. The one you should absolutely bring back is Abigail/Lori Loughlin’s character-it is way past time for her to return!
-
O
Fiona is gone but characters leaving long running series is not uncommon.
However, the overall first episode of Season 11 was totally underwhelming and disappointing. Hopefully, the sparks will return.
-
O
She will surely be missed
-
O
Not happy that Kayla is not in the series. This has left a big hole in the story. Hopefully she will return soon!
-
R
All the best to Kayla. Loved the episode and we all know that Faith will practice her mothering skills.
-
G
I think she should take Kevin McGarry with her, and replace him with someone that can act
3 3
-
O
Kevin is a great guy. What is the matter with you???
3
-
-
O
I was upset that Kayla is no longer a regular on the show. I love that she and Kevin Mct Garry are engaged in real life. I was hoping they would get together on the show as well. I do not like that they are putting Elizabeth and Nathan together. It's like she bounces back and forth between Lucas and Nathan. Very fickle woman.
2 2
-
G
Wondering if Kayla & Kevin are married yet? Also with E dumping L (won’t comment) for N maybe this is more comfortable for them?
-
S
I also was hoping her Nathan would have got together on show while Elisabeth was with Lucas .. Flona should have had a bigger part too . Maybe she returns with a guy following her back when the resort comes to town .
-
S
I miss her already . I’m glad for the show Nathan is with Elisabeth but, I was hoping Faith and Flona would be able have 2 men pop up on the show .. bring her back
-
G
I’m disappointed that Fiona has been taken out of the cast. First, Lucas has been discarded by Elizabeth, which, I believe is a very bad decision, simply because Nathan will supposedly offer more intrigue for the WCTH storyline. What a mistake. The executive producers, one of whom is Erin Krakow, assisted in the decision to bump Lucas out of Elizabeth’s life. This flies in the face of how her character has been portrayed as sweet, honest, sympathetic and all around goody-two-shoes. This series will be ruined eventually if great characters are given lesser roles or written out entirely. I will be watching and waiting to see what else happens with other characters. However, don’t destroy the integrity of the series.
1
-
C
I never liked Fiona and her stuck up, 'I can do anything a man can do' self. I'm relieved she is gone! Major help to the show!
1 4
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services