Longtime Hallmark actress Chelsea Hobbs is ready to tell the full story of why she’s starting over. In a vulnerable social media post on August 23, 2025, the “Dream Moms” star bravely opened up about leaving an abusive relationship and building a new life with her four kids.
“I should have left sooner,” Hobbs captioned a video of her painting a room in her new home and spending quality time with her youngest children. “But the dream of everything changing and being ok, and finally getting our happily ever after… pulled at me. The fear of failing my kids, was devastating.”
When Hobbs shared the post in her Instagram Stories, she wrote, “This post took over a year to write. ❤️please read with care.” She continued, “I wrote it because I had to get it out in order to fully heal. I wrote it because I know it will help at least one of you.”
Chelsea Hobbs Admits Starting Over Has Been ‘Messy & Painful’
Hobbs, who has appeared in more than 10 Hallmark movies, including 2024’s “Deck the Halls on Cherry Lane,” shared the harrowing details of navigating the last several years.
“I buried my grandma the day after I was assaulted by my husband for the last time,” Hobbs wrote in her August 23 post. “I had to fly out the next morning and leave my kids with the very person that laid hands on me, in my safety of my bed. My dad also passed several years ago, and wasn’t there to hold me … but I heard him say ‘you’re done’. I knew it, I just didn’t know if I could do it.”
“But with some encouragement, I did,” Hobbs continued. “And it’s been messy. It’s been heartbreaking and painful and alongside the slowest year of my 32 year film career… terrifying.”
Although Hobbs, who lives in Canada, admitted “I haven’t been okay” throughout the process of rebuilding her life as a single mom, she assured fans she is “becoming okay” and that she’s found the last year “empowering.” She even managed to launch a production company and podcast, “Creative Sisterhood,” with fellow actress Jovanna Burke.
“I’ve had to pull off things I didn’t ever think I’d know how to do or be capable of,” Hobbs wrote in her post. “I’ve become more organized, I’ve learned how to use my voice clearly without fear, I’ve slowed down and I’ve also stepped into gear fiercely to reinvent myself and to learn a very broken system like my life depends on it.”
Hallmark Stars & Fans Support & Thank Chelsea Hobbs for Sharing Her Story
HallmarkHobbs immediately received support and encouragement from fellow Hallmark stars, including “Double Scoop” star Taylor Cole, who commented, “Love you. 💜 Thank you for sharing your story. Know that you are helping someone stand up for themselves.”
Hallmark actress and director Crystal Lowe wrote, “You are incredible and sharing this is going to inspire and help so many others. Inch by inch. No rush. Just build.”
Hobbs’ “Dream Moms” co-star Tamera Mowry-Housley chimed in, “So proud of you. You’re doing great!”
“The Christmas House” star Brad Harder wrote, “I don’t even have words but thank you for sharing. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself first and your kids. My heart goes out to you and your beautiful family. ❤️”
Actress Sunny Mabrey, who co-starred in Hallmark’s “Christmas at Graceland: Home For the Holidays,” commented, “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this, Chelsea. It’s disgustingly common, but most women are afraid to speak up about it. I admire your bravery and honesty. You and the kids are going to be fine. More than fine. Prayers going up for you guys. ♥️”
Fans also shared heartfelt notes of gratitude to Hobbs, including one who wrote, “oh honey. I have been there, my heart is with you. I only wish I had your voice, I walked through it and suffered in silence. Your strength and resilience is truly inspiring. Sending you so much love and gratitude for sharing your story, I love that your dad showed up too. You’re strong like your mom, and that’s a beautiful thing. ❤️🩹”
“I’m so proud of you for breaking the cycle and getting out 🥹,” another wrote. “Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story! Sending Love and support from Chicago💗🌷”
Chelsea Hobbs Wrote in May 2025 About Navigating Single Motherhood After 2 Marriages
Hobbs, 40, has been married twice. She and Teren Oddo were married from 2007 to 2014, per IMDb, and they had two kids — daughter Wylie, now 19, and son Kingston, 14. From December 2019 to May 2024,
Hobbs was married to fellow actor James Neate, whose acting credits include three episodes of Hallmark’s “Chesapeake Shores” from December 2019 to 2024. They welcomed their son Jones in May 2020, and their daughter Lucy arrived in early 2022, weighing just 3.8 pounds.
In a May 2025 post about juggling motherhood amid the demise of two marriages, Hobbs wrote that by the time she was 28, she had navigated a “ten year marriage and divorce, wild 2 decade career, move out of the country we called home, becoming a full-time solo mom of two (and also living ‘alone’ for the first time in life).”
“Then came the more healed version, the self discovery, and reinvention,” she continued. “Trying to find home in a marriage for the second time, to having no choice but to become a single mom again overnight… standing tall as life does a tailspin and realizing that loving them through the ugly is the medicine. Because they need you.”
Hobbs then wrote, “Now, as a mother of four, it’s forced a stronger, wiser me and to give myself more grace… more space to find my autonomy and my voice.”
If you or a loved one feel unsafe at home, the National Domestic Violence Hotline offers immediate resources and help via its website or by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
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Hallmark Stars Support Chelsea Hobbs as She Bravely Shares ‘Terrifying’ Task of Rebuilding Her Life