What We Know About Hallmark Star Erica Durance's Divorce From David Palffy
In April of 2023, Hallmark star Erica Durance and fellow actor David Palffy announced their decision to separate. The news came after almost 20 years of marriage, with the two originally tying the knot back in 2005. They announced their split in a statement to TMZ, choosing not to detail the reasoning behind their separation.
"David and Erica have decided to amicably separate," the statement read. "Out of respect for our children, that's all that will be conveyed at this time. Thank you in advance for your understanding as we navigate the next chapter in our lives." The former couple have two children together, Lochlan and Liam, along with a son from Palffy's previous marriage named Lazlo David.
While Durance is known on the Hallmark channel for memorable movies such as "Color My World With Love" and "North to Home," the Alberta native has also made a name for herself in hit TV shows like "Smallville" and "Saving Hope." Meanwhile, Palffy has appeared on shows like "Stargate SG-1" and "Cold Squad."
Rumors of divorce were sparked by a public appearance
Speculation of Erica Durance's separation from David Palffy came after her appearance at the Canadian Screen Awards on April 14th, 2023, during which she was pictured without her wedding ring. The Hallmark star, who was nominated for Best Lead Performer in a TV Movie for her role in "Color My World With Love," attended the event with her sister, Jenny Judge.
Durance marked the event on Instagram, sharing a photo of her and Judge posing together on the red carpet. "Thanks for sharing this very special night with me at the CSAs @theacademy. Thanks for being there for everything," she captioned the post. "You are my person. My sister soulmate and I love you infinity."
Less than a week later, Durance and Palffy confirmed their separation with TMZ. The "Supergirl" actor hasn't made any overt references to her split on social media, though she did share a holiday post featuring her children in which she mentions living her life truthfully. "Here I am feeling the peace and rest that comes from the pain of being truthful to others and most importantly to myself," she wrote. "Still so far to go, but I look to the future with hope and courage and with so much love"
Durance's Hallmark movie speaks to her divorce
Before the official announcement of her separation, Erica Durance alluded to this major life change in interviews about her Hallmark flick "Unexpected Grace." The made-for-TV movie follows Durance's character, Noelle Webb, who's in the midst of a divorce following the death of her teenage daughter. She meets the father-daughter duo Jack (Michael Rady) and Grace (Erica Tremblay), who is similarly coping with the respective loss of their wife and mother.
When asked about the portrayal of her character's divorce, Durance commented on the significance of portraying a change in marital relationship that wasn't toxic. "It was important to me, as well, that I represent a relationship changing and growing and becoming something else, transitioning," she told Monsters and Critics in March 2023. "That it doesn't have to say, hey, because we've transitioned and our relationship is different, we're going to hate each other."
While not explicitly stated, we hope that this comment speaks to an amicable separation in Durance's real-life marriage. As she goes on to say, "There is a scene that speaks to that specifically, that we can still learn to love each other in a different way, and we can respect what each other was in our lives in such a way."