Is Kayla Wallace Leaving ‘When Calls The Heart’? What We Know About Fiona In Season 11

Fans may be curious as to why a particular When Calls The Heart cast member was missing from Sunday night’s (April 7) Season 11 premiere. Those who tuned in last night learned that Fiona (Kayla Wallace) is continuing her work with the Suffragettes, and will not be back in Hope Valley, the fictional home of the series.

But is Fiona leaving When Calls The Heart for good?

Executive producer Erin Krakow, who also stars as Elizabeth Thornton (née Thatcher), assured fans that Wallace’s absence is “certainly not for lack of desire.”

“Kayla had a really incredible opportunity on another TV series that films out of town,” she revealed on Heart Beats, TV Insider’s after show dedicated to the beloved drama.

While she avoided identifying the project during the interview, Krakow was referring to Taylor Sheridan‘s upcoming star-studded venture, Landman.

Nonetheless, Krakow noted that they “love” Wallace and “would love for her to be in every episode,” but are still “excited for her.”

As for if Fiona will ever return, Krakow said that they’re “hoping that [they]’ll be able to have Fiona back for some episodes.”

“Who knows? But yeah, we[‘re] truly, truly over the moon thrilled for Kayla,” she added.

Krakow also acknowledged that the show centers on “a very close community,” and shared that she “think[s] 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,” she conceded. “And so hopefully it doesn’t feel like people are in any way cavalier about her departure.”

Wallace began portraying Fiona in Season 6, having appeared in 42 episodes since her series debut, per IMDb. With respect to Landman, Variety reports that Wallace was cast as a series regular named Rebecca Savage, whom the outlet described as “an extremely capable and intimidating liability attorney sent to West Texas to clean up a mess.”

Wallace shared the news on Instagram in January, captioning her post, “THRILLED. So grateful. Let’s GO!”

Krakow took to the comments section to support Wallace, writing, “Finally we can scream it from the rooftops, superstar!!! 🎉 🎉 🎉”

When Calls The Heart airs at 9/8c Sundays on the Hallmark Channel. Watch the Season 11 trailer above.

Plus, check out Decider’s When Calls The Heart Season 11 review, as well as our streaming guide to Where to Watch When Calls The Heart Season 11.