Hallmark Fans & Stars React to Kristoffer Polaha’s Words About Wife After ‘Hard Year’

Heavy/Getty Julianne & Kristoffer Polaha in 2023

Longtime Hallmark Channel star Kristoffer Polaha is proving he’s not just a hopeless romantic on-screen, but also in real life. On August 1, 2024, the actor paid tribute to his wife of 21 years, Julianne Polaha, in a social media post that left fans and his fellow Hallmark stars swooning.

“Sometimes you just have to go back to the beginning,” he began his note about Julianne, with whom he shares three sons — Caleb, 20, Micah, 18, and Jude, 13.

“This person has been with me on a deeply romantic and personal level since I was 24 years old, ever since she was my girlfriend,” he continued. “We have traveled this world together, made a life together, got married and made three babies together and raised them up. Through thick and thin, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer, she has been right by my side.”

Kristoffer Polaha Says Wife Has Kept Their Family Together ‘Like Glue’ Through Hard Times

Noting that he’s “a very lucky man,” Kristoffer, 47, wrote in his post that Julianne, 56, “is not one to go in for posts or flowers, but I want a time stamp.”

He continued, “It’s been a hard year; we’ve had lots of loss; and you, Julianne, have kept this family moving and lifted and, like glue, together. Still my girlfriend, my best friend, and the love of my life. Thank you, babe!”

As Kristoffer alluded to, the Polahas have faced lots of loss and change over the past 18 months, including losing Julianne’s mom in February 2023 after a long and difficult journey with Alzheimer’s.

During a Facebook Live session that October, he told fellow Hallmark stars and Alzheimer’s Association advocates Nikki DeLoach and Ashley Williams how hard it was watching his wife tend to her mom as she slipped away.

“It is the worst,” he told them. “I think in a weird way, you get used to somebody disappearing slowly, so they call it the long goodbye. But I think it’s really important to know that there’s a community of people who are out there…for the caregivers, for people like Julianne who are taking care of somebody who does not recognize them anymore and the pain that that involves, it’s a real thing.”

The Polaha family has also had to say goodbye to two beloved pets this year, losing their dog Tebow in January and another dog, Rebel, in June.

Another big change to the family dynamic came when the Polahas dropped off Caleb at Nashville’s Belmont University in August 2023. This fall, their second son, Micah, will head to college, too — at New York’s TISCH School for the Arts.

Hallmark Fans & Stars Swoon Over Kristoffer Polaha’s Tribute to His Wife

Hundreds of Kristoffer’s Hallmark fans and colleagues were so touched by his tribute to Julianne, they swooned over their “love story” in the comment section of his post.

Actress Erin Cahill, who appeared with Kristoffer in 2021’s “Mystery 101: Killer Timing,” wrote, “This post! Your love! You two! All of it absolutely beautiful. ❤️🙌❤️”

Bethany Joy Lenz, his “A Biltmore Christmas” co-star in 2023, commented, “This is so beautiful ❤️.”

DeLoach, who co-starred with Kristoffer 20 years ago in a series called “North Shore,” chimed in, “She’s the absolute best. Love you both and your love story ❤️”

Fans were also moved and inspired by Kristoffer’s post, with one commenting, “Lovely, Kris. I am sorry for your struggles this year but glad you have your best friend. Reminds me to be thankful of mine.”

“Wow. Better than any Hallmark Movie,” another quipped.

“What a sweet post highlighting your wife,” someone else wrote. “Your children are blessed to have a dad who holds their mom in such high regard. Wonderful example of what a loving husband is. ❤️”