In Andrew Walker and Ashley Williams’s 2024 Hallmark Christmas movie, “Jingle Bell Run,” their characters teamed up for a reality show akin to “Survivor,” and found new meaning in their lives as they traveled together. Soon, life will imitate art as Walker and Williams team up offscreen for their own meaningful adventure in honor of their late moms, who each had forms of Alzheimer’s.
Ashley Williams Says Supporting Andrew Walker During His Mom’s Alzheimer’s Journey Took Their Friendship to ‘Another Level’
HallmarkIn January 2027, Expedia Cruises will host two back-to-back Hallmark fan cruises aboard the Celebrity Reflection, starting with Walker and Williams’ Cruise For a Cure, with proceeds and sponsorship dollars going to the Alzheimer’s Association’s research arm.
Williams and Walker have been friends for a long time, and even neighbors in Los Angeles, but their shared experiences with their moms deepened their bond. Williams’ mom, Linda, died in 2016, and Walker lost his mom, Joyce, in 2023.
During a joint conversation with EntertainmentNow, Williams said, “Andrew, you opened up to me about your mom when she was still living and it took our friendship to another level. When we started doing nonprofit work together, and it’s the same with Nikki DeLoach, it takes the work relationship to this greater, more sweeping, beautiful purpose that I find so moving.”
GettyWalker and Williams are both close with fellow Hallmark star Nikki DeLoach, who lost her dad, David, to a form of Alzheimer’s in 2021. She and Williams have organized the Dance Party to End ALZ fundraiser for several years — a charity event founded by Williams’ sister, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Walker has become very involved behind the scenes, too, and the Cruise for a Cure will extend that fundraising work, raising money for critical research.
“There’s so many people that are touched by this disease and I didn’t know how to get
involved (in helping) on a bigger scale,” Walker recalled. “So when I heard and when I understood a little more about what Ashley and Nikki were doing, that was so huge to me.”
Walker noted that walking the Alzheimer’s journey with a loved one “is a very unique club to be a part of — one I wish I wasn’t part of because I was deeply affected by my mom’s passing and how long it took for her to pass, but it’s really a gift to know you’re not alone and that you can help.”
Ashley Williams & Andrew Walker Can’t Wait to Cruise With Fans While Making a Difference
Walker and Williams’ Cruise for a Cure will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, Florida, and then on to Bimini Island in the Bahamas from January 4 – 8. Limited to around 200 fans, they’re excited to connect with everyone at planned activities and nightly dinners. Like their friendship, Walker and Williams know that setting sail in honor of their moms and raising significant funding for the Alzheimer’s Association’s research arm will be powerful.
“Honestly, it’s incredible,” Walker told EntertainmentNow. “All of us in the Hallmark world, we all feel like there is something of a higher purpose. These movies have really made us feel that way. And the fans have made us feel like we are doing something a little bit bigger here. It’s one thing to show up on set and say some lines … it’s another thing offscreen to really use that voice and use the exposure that we get for a greater cause.”
Williams noted that all the money raised through the Dance Party to End ALZ, and now Cruise for a Cure, goes to the Alzheimer’s Association’s research grant program, funding specific studies that are already making an impact. For instance, they funded a breakthrough study led by scientists at Washington University on a drug designed to prevent Alzheimer’s, as featured in the New York Times in October.
Although Cruise for a Cure isn’t limited to fans who’ve cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, Williams and Walker wouldn’t be surprised if many on board have been through that or something similar. Many find comfort in Hallmark movies and series during hard times; Walker said he used to put his Hallmark movies on repeat for his mom as she was declining.
“The Hallmark Channel is a really yummy, safe thing to watch when you’re going through something absolutely devastating,” Williams said. “So I do find a huge intersection when I communicate with our fans. The amount of people in our fan base who have been affected by this disease, I feel like, is
getting bigger and bigger and bigger the longer people are living.”
Fans who want further details about Cruise for a Cure can find the info here and fill out Expedia Cruises’ form to indicate their interest in registering.
I just wish that they would have these fan cruises out of Long Beach, CA. And more of them.