Prince or not, Katie Cassidy fell for Stephen Huszar while working side by side on Hallmark Channel’s A Royal Christmas Crush.
The costars — who play architect Ava and Prince Henry, respectively, in the 2023 rom-com — knew their connection couldn’t be denied after meeting on set in Canada.
“We obviously [were] professional and kept it that way. However, I felt as though it’s almost like there was this layer because he and I kind of knew this secret thing that nobody else knew,” Cassidy exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2023. “And we could let our guard down when our characters were supposed to and allow space to fall into one another.”
Cassidy, who went public with Huzsar in May 2023, found herself under his spell while shooting a barn scene. “I’m not kidding you. I’m, like, leaning on the table and he’s saying his lines and I just like, I think I, like, almost fell over,” she recalled to Us.
Scroll down to see Cassidy and Huszar’s love story from the beginning:
March 2023
Cassidy and Huszar began filming Hallmark’s A Royal Christmas Crush. The pair documented their winter wonderland adventures via Instagram, with Cassidy sharing behind-the-scenes moments from the snowy setting.
May 2023
Cassidy sparked romance speculation when she tagged Huszar in several vacation snaps all over the world, including a picture of a full moon in Fiji and a solo photo standing on a dock in Monaco.
June 2023
“Welp, cats out of the bag …,” Cassidy wrote via Instagram, confirming their relationship. “Happy Monday! 😂❤️😍.” Later that month, she teased their Hallmark project via social media and pointed out that Huszar is “so handsome” in the movie.
July 2023
The pair’s first Hallmark collaboration, A Royal Christmas Crush, premiered as part of the network’s “Christmas in July” programming.
“When chemistry is there, it’s just there,” Cassidy exclusively told Us ahead of the film’s release, noting that sparks flew early into filming. Huszar, for his part, explained to Us, “It’s certainly important to keep it professional. As we did, but, you know, feelings come up.”
November 2023
“Happy birthday to the love of my life … my soulmate, my best friend, my inspiration, my partner in crime 😉,” Huzsar wrote via Instagram on Cassidy’s 37th birthday. “You lift the hearts of everyone you meet with your energy, compassion, beauty and light. The world shines brighter with you in it my love☀️So grateful for you ❤️❤️❤️.”
May 2024
Cassidy exclusively told Us that her previous divorce from Matthew Rodgers hasn’t soured her on the idea of possibly walking down the aisle with Huszar. “It’s a conversation I’ve had with myself that I don’t think I expected to have with myself,” she said of a second marriage. “If that tells you anything at all. I think I’m certainly more open to something, whether it be now or in the near future with this person, but I certainly didn’t ever think that I could say that again.”
She gushed about Huszar, saying, “He’s amazing. I’ve never really thought I would date another actor. He’s incredible. We’re very happy. It’s been amazing when you meet somebody and it just sort of makes sense. You didn’t ever think it would or weren’t necessarily looking for it and then it sort of happened.”
Later that month, Huszar exclusively told Us that Hallmark was his own personal matchmaking service after meeting Cassidy at work. “Cupid is the right word for that, 100 percent,” he said. “Thank you, Hallmark. We’re very grateful for you.”
He teased that after working with Cassidy for Hallmark, the couple are vying for a Royal Christmas Crush sequel. “We have a few projects that have landed in our lap lately,” Huszar added. “We’re certainly looking forward to sharing the screen again soon.”
