A fun and playful virtual chat featuring five beloved Hallmark stars turned emotional on July 25, 2025, as actress Taylor Cole opened up about her grief since losing her best friend Nicole Marsel to breast cancer one year ago.
Cole joined the Facebook Live with Erin Cahill, Sarah Drew, Wes Brown, and Benjamin Ayres to chat about the unscripted series “Christmas at Sea,” filmed aboard one of the 2024 Hallmark Christmas Cruises. With the season finale set to air on July 28, the stars shared fun behind-the-scenes tidbits about the super fans featured on the show and what it was like to be filmed for the reality series.
But things turned serious when Cole was asked to share about a powerful conversation she had with Kerry Vermeer, one of the fans featured on the show. Cole got choked up sharing how meaningful it was for her to talk with Vermeer and others on the cruise about Marsel, their breast cancer stories, and moving through grief.
Taylor Cole Discovered the Power of Sharing Grief & Hardship With Others
Vermeer was on the cruise with her daughter Paige and daughter-in-law Alexandra, several months after undergoing a preventative mastectomy due to testing that showed she was high-risk for developing breast cancer. During the third episode, cameras followed Vermeer as she approached Cole to thank her for being so open about her friend Nicole’s breast cancer journey and advocating for those impacted by the disease.
Noting that her conversation with Vermeer was much longer than the minute or so that was shown, Cole said that when Vermeer and others on the ship thanked her for sharing about Nicole’s breast cancer battle and the grief of losing her, it reminded her how important it is to be open about her hardships.
“I found the importance of, you know, sharing the difficult times,” Cole said, noting that she first learned the power of being vulnerable with fans when she filmed her 2022 movie “Pumpkin Everything,” co-starring Corey Sevier.
Used to being in Hallmark movies that were all about “love and light,” Cole admitted she almost turned the movie down, explaining, “It was too real. It felt like too much, and I didn’t want to make people sad. And it was vulnerable. It was about, you know, your grandpa going to a nursing home or assisted living and it was hard-hitting.”
But as soon as the movie premiered, Cole said, “All the fans’ responses were, ‘I’m going through this,’ and ‘This was really touching,’ and another who said, ‘It helped me because I got to see it on a Hallmark movie, I got to watch you navigate hard times.'”
As Cole tried to maintain her composure, her Hallmark colleagues — all participating virtually from different parts of the world — shouted, “We love you, Taylor!”
“I got to share about Nicole,” Cole said of the chance to celebrate her bestie, adding that it was powerful to have so many people on the ship thank her for her openness and share their own hard stories about losing or supporting the breast cancer warriors in their lives.
“Feeling that connection, that genuine love, was so healing, so cathartic,” Cole said, her voice cracking. “It was really beautiful.”
Sarah Drew Says Taylor Cole’s Vulnerability Was ‘Such a Gift’ to Fans
In response to Cole, Drew said on the Facebook Live chat, “Taylor, I really loved how you welcomed people into that vulnerability. You dressed in pink for every single event because you were like, ‘Look, I’m going to honor the reality of these hard moments in life.'”
“Because as much as what you were saying is true, that Hallmark is about love and connection,” Drew continued, “it’s also about how much we cling to one another in the midst of loss, right? … It was such a gift to all of the people on that boat.”
Cole revealed that her powerful conversation with Vermeer took place on what would have been Nicole’s birthday, and that all kinds of little signs made her feel like her best friend had a hand in that meaningful moment.
“It was just like this beautiful hug from the universe, and from the fans, and from Nicole, so I (will) remember that forever,” Cole said. “It was so, so, so beautiful and magical.”
The first three episodes of “Christmas at Sea” are available to stream on Hallmark+. The season finale will air on July 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, available to stream the following day.
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Hallmark Stars Comfort Taylor Cole as She Bravely Shares Her Grief