The Health Issue Hallmark's Cameron Mathison Struggled With While Filming Sweet Revenge
Hallmark fans are familiar with the network's "Hannah Swensen Mystery" series, in which Alison Sweeney plays the role of a small-town baker who is also an amateur detective. When she's not managing her business, "The Cookie Jar," she's out solving mysteries with the help of other local residents, like Cameron Mathison's character, Mike Kingston, the chief detective (literally, of Winnetka County Sheriff's Office). It comes as no surprise that sweet treats and delectable desserts feature heavily in the films.
But for Mathison, there was just one problem — the "All My Children" actor had been diagnosed with celiac disease. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the autoimmune condition causes an attack on the small intestine when gluten is eaten, often causing inadequate nutrient absorption but also uncomfortable symptoms like stomach pain, bloating, and headaches. As Hannah Swensen fans know, her sidekick and romantic interest, Mike Kingston (Mathison), loves chowing down on a cream puff, cookie, or other treat from her bakery. Mathison admitted to TV Fanatic, "I'm an actor; Mike is in love and engaged to a baker ... I paid for it."
We don't doubt that "The Cookie Jar" could switch to making gluten-free desserts. Still, Mathison had been keeping his diagnosis under wraps. He disclosed his celiac disease when discussing his role in "The Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swenson Mystery" but revealed that he actually found out during the previous film, "Sweet Revenge," a whole two years earlier.
He didn't want to give anything away
As a result, the "Love, Of Course" actor soldiered on through filming, not letting it detract from his craft or fans' experience, confessing, "I've got celiac disease. I've got a real serious gluten sensitivity, and it's such a pain and so ironic. However, Mike isn't (sensitive to gluten). If you watch some of the movies, I'm inhaling the brownies or the chocolate and cookies."
Once Cameron Mathison went public with his condition, it was all hands on deck to procure him gluten-free sweet treats. The Hallmark favorite notes that the team has been fantastic with accommodating his sensitivities, so he isn't in pain all the time, but he didn't want to be the guy who made everyone go above and beyond. Nevertheless, when a scene took 10 or sometimes even as many as 25 takes, and Mathison had to devour gluten-loaded goodie after goodie, it took a toll on his health. He revealed how his blood glucose levels were off the charts, something that was concerning for him at that stage in his health journey.
In 2019, Mathison was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, also known as kidney cancer. He's since gone into remission, but keeps a very close eye on his health. During filming, he found, "I was measuring my blood glucose levels every morning and monitoring them because we were really trying to get them down. They were elevated, even though I eat really clean." The only thing to blame was the dozens and dozens of "Hannah Swensen" desserts.
Fans were worried it would get the better of him
Clearly, Cameron Mathison is dedicated to his character in the "Hannah Swensen" mystery series, not letting his physical health symptoms get in the way of playing the sweet-treat-loving beau of Alison Sweeney's baker-turned-detective character. However, when Hallmark announced the release of another installment, "One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," coming in 2024, fans were quick to notice that Mathison wasn't on the acting roster. Instead, another network standby, Victor Webster, will be coming aboard.
There was some speculation on whether or not Mathison's celiac disease diagnosis could have signaled the end for his character, especially considering that the previous movie saw his character, Mike Kingston, leaving for training after he joined the FBI. According to TV Line, who reached out to Hallmark, fans have nothing to fear, as Mathison's character was simply left out so that the films "stay true to the book series."
Additionally, in real life, the "General Hospital" actor has taken a departure of his own. In late 2023, he signed on to Great American Media for a "multi-picture deal lasting several years," according to Deadline. It's unclear whether or not Mathison is in the mix for future Hannah Swensen movies or if his character has been written out of the recipe entirely.