Danica McKellar shares how Candace Cameron Bure led her to faith: ‘It’s been Jesus this whole time’

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Entertainment Editor Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Actress Danica McKellar has reflected on how fellow former child star Candace Cameron Bure helped lead her to Christianity four years ago, and how her faith has completely redefined how she views her Hollywood career and the stories she chooses to tell.

McKellar, who rose to fame playing Winnie Cooper on the beloved television series "The Wonder Years," told The Christian Post that Bure, best known for portraying D.J. Tanner on "Full House," invited her to church in 2022, and that moment changed everything.

"My friend Candace Cameron Bure, who also has movies on Great American Family Channel, is a very outspoken Christian, has been for many years," McKellar said. "She brought me to church four years ago, and I remember it was the Passion Play, and afterward ... the Holy Spirit just chose that moment to make everything make sense to me."

The 51-year-old actress and mother said the experience left her overwhelmed with the realization that God had been present throughout her life, even when she hadn't recognized Him.

"I just was flooded with understanding," she recalled, adding that she later explained the revelation to Bure by comparing it to the romantic comedies both actresses have become known for starring in.

"I remember telling her, 'Candace, this is like one of our rom-coms, you know, like where the love of your life is in front of you. You just didn't realize it. It's like, it's you. It's always been you,'" she said. "Like, it's been Jesus this whole time, and I just didn't recognize it."

Looking back, McKellar said she now sees evidence of God's guidance in both her professional and personal life, including moments of disappointment that ultimately served a greater purpose.

“[I would feel like I was] being helped, or things would just line up in a certain way, or things not going how I wanted them to, but realizing later, 'Oh wait, that was definitely part of a divine plan that was watching out for my best interest,' and I didn't realize it at the time," she said.

In recent years, the actress has become one of Great American Family's most recognizable stars after previously starring in a slew of Hallmark films. According to McKellar, her newfound faith has made the network's increasingly Christian-centered programming especially meaningful to her.

McKellar is starring in two upcoming holiday films for the network, "The Christmas Yes List" and "The Greatest Christmas Gift," which highlight the biblical themes of family, sacrifice and trusting in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t make sense.

"We've definitely taken a more faith-based approach," she said of Great American Family. "If you watch all the movies, you'll see a pattern of leaning more and more into faith, which has been really exciting."

Christmas movies have always provided comfort and entertainment during a season that can be difficult for many families, McKellar said, but faith-based storytelling provides hope beyond a fleeting feeling. 

"What I feel that we're doing, especially on Great American Media, [is] that we give people hope and guidance, ideas for Christmas traditions that bring Christ into the celebrations," she said.

"There's conflict in all of these movies, of course. There's conflict in life, but how do we choose to deal with it? Where do we turn? How do we cope? And so we get to give examples and model that kind of behavior and those kinds of solutions."

In "The Christmas Yes List," streaming Nov. 12 on Great American Family Pure Flix before its Nov. 14 network premiere, McKellar plays Chloe Hollis, a New York professional whose people-pleasing tendencies have cost her a promotion.

Determined to overcome her fear of rejection, Chloe sets out to convince 10 strangers to tell her "no" before Christmas. Her plans take an unexpected turn when she meets a man who has committed to saying "yes" to more opportunities in life.

Based on Melissa Ferguson's novel, the film is a lighthearted romantic comedy sprinkled with moments of faith, including a scene where the two lead characters pray together.

"It just turns into this kind of where we get to know each other, and it turns into a really beautiful love story under really funny circumstances," she said.

Her second film, "The Greatest Christmas Gift," streaming Nov. 27 on Great American Family Pure Flix and premiering Nov. 29 on Great American Family, takes on heavier themes: McKellar portrays Emma Harper, a music teacher preparing to marry her fiancé, Caleb Bennett, when unexpected circumstances threaten their plans.

"This one is a heartfelt, faith-forward drama," she said. "It's such a beautiful story."

The actress said she particularly appreciated the opportunity to openly discuss God through her character, including an early scene in which Emma encourages a young student to overcome her fears.

"I'm telling this little girl in my music class, you know, to be brave, to get up on stage and do a solo, saying, 'Look, God will be with you,'" McKellar said. "And just to get to do that was really special."

"It's that sacrificial love, the true meaning of Christmas," she said. "The movie itself, from the beginning to the end, it's just a beautiful, beautiful story of love and God's love and the community coming together at the end."

Beyond her acting career, McKellar is also celebrating a family Christmas project involving her 16-year-old son, Draco Verta, and his father, composer Mike Verta. The father-son duo recently created A Totally Awesome Radical Christmas, an album that reimagines traditional holiday songs in the style of 1980s pop music.

McKellar revealed that Draco and Verta helped her prepare for the musical scenes by recording tutorial videos, and Verta also recorded the piano tracks used in the film. The actress said she’s “so grateful” for the close relationship her family has maintained despite her divorce from Verta.

"I'm so blessed that we all get along, and we've gotten to a place where, like for this Christmas movie ... I had to play piano a few times. When you hear me playing piano, it's actually Mike. It's actually my ex-husband playing the notes,” she said. 

The album is also connected to a charitable initiative benefiting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a literacy program that provides free books to young children. McKellar, who has authored 12 math books for children, said the cause is especially meaningful because her book Goodnight, Numberswas previously included in the program.

For purchases of physical copies of the Christmas album made using the promotional code "DOLLY," McKellar, who worked with Parton on the Christmas film “Christmas at Dollywood,” will personally match the purchase amount with a donation to the Imagination Library through Christmas.

"Dolly Parton was a huge role model in my life," McKellar said of the late country star, who died in August. 

And as she looks ahead to the Christmas season, McKellar said her faith has taught her to approach life with greater gratitude and to focus less on what she lacks.

"Gratitude comes to mind, just for us to all remember to be grateful for every single thing that we have and not focus on the things we don't have," she said.

"Not be thinking about stuff in the past, not be worrying about the future, but just really appreciate this moment in time and this celebration, and remembering where it all came from, and giving glory to God, and being grateful for all the gifts."

McKellar said she hopes her Christmas films and books will ultimately help others experience the same hope and joy she’s discovered only comes from a relationship with the Lord.

"It’s tapping into joy," she said. "It just floods your heart with joy ... that's what we're here for: to connect in that way, and to give back."