The hit Hallmark original, When Calls the Heart, wrapped up its eighth season earlier this May. With that, the show completed its third season without its lead, Jack Thornton. Australian actor Daniel Lissing played the lead male opposite Erin Krakow (Elizabeth Thornton) for five seasons before exiting the show for good in 2018, leaving behind his newlywed onscreen wife Elizabeth and his fans heartbroken. 

Hallmark just picked up WCTH for Season 9. Hearties are hoping that maybe this time they will see their favorite actor return to the show again. But is it really happening? Is Daniel Lissing (Jack Thornton) returning to WCTH Season 9? Let’s see what the actor has to say about it. 

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Daniel Lissing’s final words on When Calls the Heart

You may remember, Jack was involved in a very important assignment before he was killed off in a landslide. He did not make it back home from the mission but his final letter did reach Elizabeth which surely made a lot of you tear up. 

"My dearest Elizabeth, I’m writing a letter I hope you never have to read. If you are, then you know I won’t be coming home. Take comfort that I will be watching over you for the rest of your days. I will always be with you in spirit. But I need you to promise me one thing, Elizabeth: you will open your heart to love again. Know that I want nothing more than your happiness. You are the perfect woman. You showed me what it feels like to be truly loved. For that, I am eternally grateful. Yours forever, Jack." - These were Jack’s final words to his wife.

Why did Daniel Lissing leave When Calls the Heart in the first place?

When Lissing left his famous role in 2018, he took to Facebook to break the news. During a live session, he said, “Circumstances arose for me where I needed to leave When Calls the Heart for reasons that are very personal to me. I went to Hallmark and they were nothing but supportive of me. I went to the girls and they were nothing but supportive of me."

After his departure, WCTH alum Lori Loughlin (ex-Abigail Stanton) told ET, “We are actors, and actors have contracts and sometimes those contracts expire and you have a choice to make. You either renegotiate or you don’t, and Dan has chosen to move on, we respect that."

Lissing’s on-screen love interest, Krakow, also shared how she felt about Lissing’s departure. “I was just sad that Dan was leaving. That's the bottom line: We were all really sad about it, and that's hard. Dan, in many ways, has been my partner in crime for five years, and one of my greatest scene partners ever, and I'm just really gonna miss him," she said.

Several months after leaving the show, Lissing opened up in detail to ET about his decision. He may have initially left the show to pursue other passion projects. But afterward, he came across something more special which has given him a more solid reason to not look back. 

Daniel Lissing reveals new girlfriend, Nadia, on Instagram!

“It's funny the way the world works. If I had stayed on the show, and been there during season 6 and shot and all that kind of stuff, then I wouldn't have met [my fiancée] Nadia, you know? And I wouldn't be getting married and I wouldn't be at this place in my life where I feel really in line with what I'm meant to be doing personally and professionally, so no regrets at all,” he told ET. 

“How can I look at my future wife and say, 'Oh, I should've stayed on this job?' She's my life, you know? That's my personal life and that's exponentially more important to me than a job,” he added.

Daniel and Nadia got married in “a very small and sweet service” in California in early 2020. They had only two close friends as their witnesses. 

The couple had planned a wedding in 2020 but they married ahead of the date as their wedding got postponed due to the pandemic. 

“It was a pretty fast and easy decision to make. When you've met your 'one,’ you just want to start your married life together as soon as possible. The best part is, we get to celebrate with all our friends and family next year, too… We're married now and we're looking forward to everything ahead of us,” he told ET.

Will Daniel Lissing return to When Calls the Heart Season 9?

A few years have passed since Jack’s tragic death and we can see Elizabeth has pretty much moved on with her life. But no matter who Elizabeth opens her heart to, Jack will forever remain in her heart. It is the same reason that fans still want to see the miracle happen on their favorite show and see Jack return from the dead to reunite with his love. 

But with a heavy heart, we will have to break it to you that it is not going to happen. He has said it in his previous interviews and reiterated his words in a recent YouTube video as well. 

In February 2021, Lissing had a virtual chat with his former co-star Paul Greene (Dr. Carson Shepherd on WCTH) where he discussed his career during and post WCTH. 

“I was grateful every day I was on set,” he said. “I had got to the point where I wanted to switch paths.”

He admitted that it was a super tough decision to walk away from the show which gave him so much fame but he knew that he needed to follow his heart.

“Everyone said I was crazy. Maybe they were right. Time will tell. I believe in my purpose … I’ve got a very clear vision of what I want to do and how I want to do it.”

After leaving WCTH, Lissing landed a recurring role as Sterling Freeman on the ABC series, The Rookie. Recently, he filmed a pilot for a FOX series called The Cleaning Lady. He is also an investor in a California-based vegan fast-food restaurant called Burger Patch.