Brennan Elliott Says He’s Returning to Hallmark a ‘Different Man’ After Deep Grief of Losing His Wife (EXCLUSIVE)

Hallmark Channel fans are eagerly anticipating Brennan Elliott’s return nearly two years after his last rom-com, “His & Hers” with Lacey Chabert. The beloved actor took an extended hiatus as he cared for his “incredible” wife, Camilla Row, who died in March 2025 following a years-long battle with stage four gastric cancer, and then needed to process his grief while adjusting to life as a single dad to their kids, 13-year-old son Liam and 11-year-old daughter Luna.

On June 27, 2026, Elliott returns for his whopping 32nd Hallmark movie in “A Castle of Our Own,” a poignant and tenderhearted story of two divorcees, played by Elliott and Erica Cerra, who help each other realize how stuck they are and how much joy they’ve been missing in their lives. The script immediately hit home for Elliott, who’s been on his own brave journey of growth, change, and finding joy again.

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Brennan Elliott Says Latest Movie Fulfills His Late Wife’s Wish for Him

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Elliott, 51, has starred in many memorable Hallmark movies, from “The Gift of Peace” to the “Crossword Mysteries” franchise, but filming “A Castle of Our Own” felt very different than most of the others, he told EntertainmentNow, explaining that he felt more joyful and relaxed than he’s experienced on set in years.

“Look, it’s been a very difficult 14 months since (Camilla) passed, obviously,” he acknowledged. “And the nine years she had cancer was really tough, too. I was very blessed to be able to (make so many Hallmark movies), but this might be the first time I got a chance to really work on a project without having that need to survive or that caregiving instinct, that perseverance.”

Elliott said for the last decade, each new project he booked was attached to an underlying need to pay medical bills and take care of his family, not to mention the constant worry about his wife back home.

“I’m not saying it affected my work in regards to anybody noticing, but there was always this kind of added pressure that I always put on myself,” he reflected. “But in this movie, it was just very relaxed.”

Elliott continued, “It was beautiful, and I needed it, you know? I needed to be on set and to be creative. I was sad when it was over, because I really, I think for the first time in a long time, enjoyed working. Not that I haven’t enjoyed other projects, but I didn’t have that added pressure (this time).”

“My late wife always said, ‘I want you to be able to do your work with joy and not feel like you have to survive and have a straitjacket on because someone at home is not well,'” he recalled.

Realizing that this movie gave him the emotional freedom Row long envisioned for him was incredibly meaningful, Elliott said, sweetly adding, “She was a very selfless lady, and I miss her dearly.”

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Brennan Elliott Says He & His Kids Have Supported Each Other Through Their Grief

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Elliott is understandably relieved that he and his kids are emerging from the fog of grief after losing Row, telling EntertainmentNow, “It’s scary, but it’s also exciting. You know, the grass smells greener, the food tastes better, and things seem clearer. The (deep) grief part of it is over. Me and the kids are good. I mean, she was sick for so long that the kids were really — they just didn’t want their mom in pain anymore, right?”

That doesn’t mean they don’t still have hard moments, Elliott said, and he wants to make sure his kids know how to work through any emotion that comes up along the way.

“My kids and I are so close, I do everything with them and for them, and they’ve been doing a lot for me,” Elliott said. “We’ve been very honest with each other. They’ve seen me vulnerable, they’ve seen me break down, they’ve
seen me be lost — whether it was for an hour, a day, or a week, they’ve seen me go through it. I don’t try to … be the perfect dad. I try to be the most honest I can be, so they know it’s okay to feel.”

Row was a trailblazer in the gastric cancer community, fearlessly trying experimental treatments, becoming an outspoken patient advocate, and urging Congress to support chronically under-funded gastric cancer research. She was also a devoted mom and wife, often posting on her private Instagram account about how much she loved her family. Her passing hit them and the countless patients she spoke up for very hard.

“Losing a loved one to cancer, and that kind of grief, when the four of you are a unit, is something I don’t wish on my worst enemy,” Elliott told EntertainmentNow, and then smiled as he admitted, “My problem in the beginning was I wanted to hurry up and get it over so I could move on. And my people that I talked to — my therapist, family, and friends — were just like, ‘Look, this could take years and years and years and years, and it’s okay. It’s okay to have a bad day, or it’s okay to be sad, or it’s okay to be lost.'”

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Much like his character Adam in “A Castle of Our Own,” Elliott said he’s had to learn how to allow happiness in again, admitting, “I’ve been in a very weird transition in my life, where I’m doing the work from a place of joy. Now I’m making decisions on what I want to work on or audition for. I’m not pushing or chasing … I’m trying to also live a little more, enjoy life. Like, I don’t say no to opportunities of seeing friends now.”

Elliott noted, “For a long time, I was pretty stuck with just taking care of (Camilla) and the kids and working, which I was honored to do, of course. I mean, she was obviously the love of my life, and my wife, and the mother of my children. But it’s a new world now.”

With his onscreen return right around the corner, Elliott is hopeful “A Castle of Our Own” is the first of many more Hallmark movies ahead for him “because I’m a different man now than I was. I feel much more at peace, much more free, and just much more grateful for these opportunities and being able to enjoy them.”

“A Castle of Our Own” premieres on Hallmark Channel on June 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.