The Stunning Transformation Of Hallmark Star Ashley Newbrough

Call us cheesy, but we love a good Hallmark movie — especially a heartwarming holiday-themed one. Enter our Christmas queen, Ashley Newbrough. The actress has been lighting up our screens with festive cheer and fun year-round flicks for years. One of her wintry whirlwind romances, "Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance" made our list of the best Hallmark movies of 2023. But she hasn't always played the fresh-faced heroine who stumbles upon the love of her life in a picture-perfect little town (or the avalanche predictor who falls for the mountain rescuer, as it were). Her resume includes commercials, multiple television shows, and even a horror movie. How'd she start capturing roles — and our hearts — as the leading lady in an ever-growing number of TV movies?

Let's start at the beginning. Newbrough was born in historical Newport, Rhode Island on October 13, 1987 — which makes her a Libra, just like these celebs. While her father is American, her mother is Canadian. At age three, her parents moved her and her siblings to Ontario, Canada. The star proudly displays both the American and Canadian flag in her Instagram bio for her nearly 70,000 followers to see, so you can tell she holds both countries near and dear to her heart. Here's a look at how Ashley Newbrough got her onscreen start as a child in Canada and grew into the Hallmark star she is today.

Some people were just meant for the screen. Long before she was raking in acting credits, Ashley Newbrough appeared on television as a sweet 10-year-old kid starring in commercials. (Newbrough isn't the only actress who got her start in TV advertisements: Jodie Foster's first role was in a Coppertone commercial at just age three!) According to Newbrough's "Christmas for Keeps" bio, those commercials actually aired worldwide — maybe they gave her a taste for stardom?

Whatever the case, she moved on to television a few years later with her first appearance in an episode of the paranormal show "The Zack Files" at age 14. You can also catch her on an episode of the Lifetime crime drama "1-800-Missing" in 2004 and as a recurring side character on "Radio Free Roscoe" from 2003 to 2005. The budding actress might have had her big break in 2004 when she was cast as the lead in the witchy Lifetime pilot "The Coven," but the network cancelled the show before the first 60-minute episode aired. FBI agents, high schoolers, and witches, oh my! The one thing these varied shows all have in common? They filmed in Ontario, Canada, which may have made it easier for the teen to balance everyday life and acting.

You may have seen a young Ashley Newbrough come across your screen and not even known it. Over the course of her early acting career, Newbrough rubbed elbows with some of our absolute favorite actresses of the aughts and 2010s, like Lindsay Lohan and Brenda Song in film and Lucy Hale in television.

Newbrough's very first film credit was "Student #2" on Disney's 2002 "Get a Clue," which we mostly remember for Lindsay Lohan's impeccable Y2K outfits. Brenda Song appears in some absolutely iconic looks throughout the movie, too. Newbrough is also credited on a project with Hillary Duff — the 2005 film "The Perfect Man," but her scenes didn't make the final cut. It's not clear how closely the future Hallmark actress worked alongside these stars, but it's certainly a fun fact that she shares projects with them! And as for Lucy Hale? Newbrough co-starred in a CW show with her, and the pair still exchange happy birthdays on social media. (More on that later!)

While Ashley Newbrough ultimately found her calling in heartwarming romance films, her first big screen break was in the horror/sci-fi film "Kaw." You've got to respect an actress who hones her talents across genres. The 2006 made-for-television movie follows a small town attacked by diseased, flesh-eating ravens (definitely reminiscent of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds"). Newbrough played the character of Doris alongside stars Sean Patrick Flannery and Rod Taylor. Fun fact: Taylor starred in the original 1963 "The Birds" film.

Like many of the TV shows Newbrough worked on early in her career, "Kaw" was shot in Ontario, Canada, where the actress grew up. The horror film was created for the Sci-Fi Channel (which rebranded to "Syfy" in 2009). While the killer ravens didn't garner amazing reviews, it's safe to assume the actress' time on set was a valuable learning experience that helped her grow her skills and prepped her for roles to come.

The CW gave us some stellar but also super ridiculous teen dramas, from Riverdale, with its unresolved storylines, to the iconic Gossip Girl, which we're still rewatching for new details as adults. The network also gave Ashley Newbrough her first starring role in a television series. After appearing on a variety of Canadian TV shows, including the award-winning hockey comedy "Rent-a-Goalie," it seems that the actress decided it was time for a change of scenery. She moved to Los Angeles and scored a leading role in the CW show "Privileged," a dramedy based on Zoey Dean's novel "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls." The show follows an Ivy-league journalism grad (JoAnna Garcia) who takes a job as a live-in tutor for a pair of spoiled twin heiresses, played by Newbrough and Lucy Hale, who has had quite the transformation herself.

While "Privileged" only ran from 2008 to 2009, that single season allowed Newbrough and Hale to develop a strong bond and a lasting friendship. Hale shared in a Buzzfeed video that they even lived together in her first LA apartment. "Lots of bad decisions made in that apartment," Hale joked, "but it was good. Good times." While the two stars haven't worked together in over a decade, you can still spot them supporting each other on social media and hanging out in person.

After a stint on ABC's "Mistresses," Ashley Newbrough brought her talents to the Hallmark Channel. And boy did she bring her A game with her when she nabbed the lead role of Becca Miller in the 2015 romance "Love Under the Stars." Becca is a free-spirited 30-something grad student who refuses to grow up (aka, she's dealt with some traumatic stuff). When she connects with a widower and his young daughter, she finds her own way of making peace with loss while still finding joy in life. The three find comfort in each other, and, of course, romance blossoms between her and that handsome single dad! An IMDb user called it "one of the best TV movies I've seen." That's high praise, if you ask us.

Newbrough's performance in "Love Under the Stars" was just the first in a string of leading roles. Barring the 2016 thriller "You May Now Kill the Bride," and the odd short or TV episode, the actress has stuck to romance movies for Hallmark and Lifetime, amassing 20 leading roles and counting.

Sometimes, a script calls for stepping outside of your comfort zone in a big way. Ashley Newbrough has shown she isn't afraid to put herself out there for the sake of movie magic. For "Love on the Right Course," she picked up some clubs and hit the driving range. "What an incredible challenge," she shared in an Instagram post compilation of her practicing her drive. "It might've cost me my sanity but I did end up finding a love for the sport."

That's not the only challenge the Hallmark star has fearlessly faced. She got to film with bees for "Flowers and Honey" — one Instagram post features her in full-body beekeeper attire. "Only got stung once," she wrote. And "Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance" had her donning skis. Seriously, what other job lets you try your hand at so many activities? Newbrough tackled everything head-on, but when it comes to skiing, she ranks herself solidly as an amateur and praised her stunt double. "She looked so cool. She's been skiing all her life, and those shots they got are just absolutely incredible," she said in an interview with Niagara Frontier Publications.

Just as interesting as her varied activities is the fact that Newbrough knocks out these movies really, really fast. While big-budget films are shot over months or even years, many made-for-TV movies go much faster. In the same interview, Newbrough revealed that "Love in Glacier National" was shot in just 15 days!

It's easy to bond when you have a lot in common with someone — like being in the same industry, for example. Ashley Newbrough proved that when she started dating actor Matt Shively in 2017. You may have seen him as main character Quinten on Peacock's "Lopez vs. Lopez," or (throwback) as Ryan Laserbeam on the Nickelodeon sitcom "True Jackson, VP." The Southern Cali-born actor appeared with the Hallmark star at movie premieres and other public events, along with private parties and hometown trips. Newbrough wasn't shy about posting him on her Insta, either: From birthdays to Valentine's Days to NYEs, she shared lots of cute pics and plenty of love for her partner with her followers. She even revealed that they quarantined together during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. "I'm so happy we didn't kill each other after being locked up and quarantined together all this time. I love you!" she wrote in a 2021 Instagram post.

But real-life relationships never go as smoothly as onscreen romances, and it appears the picture-perfect couple maybe have broken up. They haven't been photographed together at any major events as of late, and Newbrough hasn't posted a picture of or with Shively since 2022. We can't say for sure whether the two are still together at present, but who knows what plot twists the future will bring.

While Ashley Newbrough first sprang onto our screens in Canadian television shows, she has now solidly found her niche as the leading lady in made-for-TV romance films. And not just any romances: she's specifically slaying in holiday-themed movies.

How'd she end up in this snowy niche? According to the Hallmark star, there's a lot to love about these heartwarming flicks. "I think these movies do such a good job of just creating a cozy atmosphere that's festive and fun and safe," she said in a YouTube interview. "It's like entering a snow globe of sorts where you get to celebrate the season and look at the decorations. The messages are always so wholesome and nice reminders, especially when things in the news can be heavy or life is stressful, it's a nice little escape." While Scrooges and more sophisticated film critics might roll their eyes at the surface-level sappiness of these movies, there's certainly something to be said for Newbrough's snow globe comparison.

For one of her next festive films, Newbrough will star alongside Chad Rook in "A Dickens of a Christmas" (per Deadline). She'll play a harried lawyer with zero room in her schedule for romance while Rook plays her single-dad-hockey-coach love interest. Add in an ancestral ghost determined to play matchmaker, and we're beyond hooked! Catch us cozying up for this sweet movie with some hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket.