Kristina Wagner opened up about life with and without ex-husband Jack Wagner (Frisco Jones) on a recent episode of “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” on OWN. The pair, of course, fell in love while playing a soap opera supercouple on “General Hospital” in the 1980s.
“Jack and I were paired up and there was chemistry, on camera and off camera,” recounted Wagner, adding that the relationship quickly transcended what was happening on screen. “Being thrown together on set in a romantic way, I think it was inevitable. I don’t know how you could avoid it. And Jack’s fun and an entertaining guy… engaging, flamboyant and big. He’s a fun person to be around.”
The couple eventually married in 1993 and welcomed two children, Peter, 24, and Harrison, 20; but the union had its share of problems and did not to last. The Wagners divorced in 2006, after 13 years.
The actress likened the divorce to an awakening. “I realized that I really needed to figure out what was going on with me in order to move forward,” she said. “It’s easy to lose yourself when you’re only in your young 20s and you’re just doing what’s expected of you and not really thinking about your own needs… The divorce was the best thing that could have happened to me and for my children, as well, because I don’t think I was being a very good mother at the time. I had to deal with myself, first, because we ultimately have to take care of ourselves before we can help others.”
Through time and counseling, Kristina and Jack have moved on, come to peace with each other and become friends. In fact, they’re happily working together, again, on Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart.”
“I got a phone call from Jack saying, ‘What do you think? Would you like to come work with us up in Vancouver and be a part of this show?'” explained Wagner, who said yes with no hesitation upon receiving the call, last year.
As for working with her ex, this time around, Wagner acknowledged, “it’s so much easier.” And the reason is quite simple. “I can go on set and establish my boundaries and my needs and my wants and get through these scenes and, you know, work with him as a professional actress rather than a girlfriend or a wife,” she noted. “And it’s really important. It’s fun. We’re having fun.”
Here’s a clip of Wagner’s appearance on “Oprah: Where Are they Now?”
You can watch more clips from Wagner’s appearance on OWN’s youtube network.