What We Know About Hallmark Star Amanda Righetti

While the Hallmark Channel is famous for its never-ending roster of Christmas movies, the network is also beloved for putting out entertaining films all year long, celebrating every season with romance and charm. Their summer movies are almost as popular as the Christmas ones, and one in particular seemed to have touched many fans' hearts.

"Love At the Shore," a 2017 Hallmark Channel film starring Amanda Righetti and Hallmark favorite Peter Porte, follows a single mom named Jenna who is struggling to pen her next novel. While on a beach vacation, she meets Lucas, a carefree surfer who teaches her to let go of her expectations and embrace life. As the sole Hallmark movie that Righetti has starred in thus far, it's a special one for fans of the actor.

Born in Utah and raised in Nevada, Righetti started her career in entertainment by modeling but soon turned to acting when she was cast as Hailey Nichol in Fox's "The O.C." in 2003. After her success on the show, Righetti also appeared in the 2009 horror remake film "Friday the 13th" with Jared Padalecki and starred as Grace Van Pelt in "The Mentalist" television series from 2008 to 2015. It seems that Righetti shines in whichever role she lands in, but there's more to her story than fans might think.

It may be difficult for fans to picture Amanda Righetti as anything but an actor, but her Hollywood career was not her original dream as a child. In fact, in an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us, Righetti opened up about the fact that a career as a dancer was what she wanted to pursue before life got in the way and she had to pivot (no pun intended).

"Ballet was my passion," she told the outlet, noting that she was about 4 years old when she first began dancing. It was pretty clear what style of dancing she wished to pursue, she added. "My dream was to be a prima ballerina, but I hurt my hip when I was 17 and that was kind of the end of it. I was like, 'Well, I've got to figure out what to do with my life now.'"

Righetti explained that she took up dance as a hobby after quitting it full-time, but that her injury wouldn't allow her to practice as much as she hoped. However, as an exercise enthusiast, Righetti continues to stay fit through yoga and working with a personal trainer.

Amanda Righetti is renowned for her famous movie and television roles throughout her career, but there's one role that she considers invaluable: mom. Righetti shares her son Knox with her ex-husband Jordan Alan. Righetti and Alan married in 2006, and they welcomed their only son in January 2013. However, their relationship was not to last, as after 11 years of marriage, Righetti filed for divorce from Alan in 2017. No reason for their divorce was shared with the public, but fortunately, the couple has been able to amicably co-parent their son since separating.

Righetti has been very open about the fact that she worked hard to stay fit while she was pregnant and after giving birth to Knox. The "Mentalist" actor described her post-baby workout routine to US Weekly in 2013. "Once we had broke for hiatus [on 'The Mentalist'] in the beginning of April, my full-time job became going to the gym," she said. "I was in the gym probably like five [or] six days out of the week for those three months."

The mother and son also love spending time together outside, as Righetti posted a picture on Instagram of the two of them running on a beach playing soccer and tagged it "#sundayfunday." She's also shared photos of them celebrating holidays together, and the duo even recreated a scene from her hit film "Friday the 13th" to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the movie in 2022.