Candace Cameron Bure describes herself as “our generation’s Hallmark Christmas queen”.
Dancing with the Stars alum, actress and single mother of three, Candace Cameron Bure got a kick out of suggesting to us that her adoring fans are actually “our generation’s Carousel Clowns”, the mermaid-inspired children’s fairytale characters beloved of Bure’s favourite owners and creators, Mattel, for whom her company, Candace Bure Productions, produces shows and merchandise.
But then she really realised that what, if anything, she was voicing was a glimmer of what The Carol of the Bells sings as the merry chorus: “So to every man, on this hour, hear my prayer.”
“I love that I live the dream!” says Bure, 43, in a recent interview with BBC Entertainment to promote her new Hallmark Channel series, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. “I think there’s something about being in this position, being at the top of the world and married to the prince and having everything I could ever want. I feel like I have everything I could ever want, and what else do I have to wait for?”
Bure is on a roll. Besides her projects for Candace Bure Productions – notably her Amazon series, her kids’ guest appearances and hosting her own show, The Candace Cameron Bure Show, which aired from 2006 to 2007 on ABC – she plays an NFL cheerleader in the popular ABC sitcom The Mayor, and hosts a wide range of TV and film projects.
But she admits that she feels “an immense amount of pressure”.
“I feel like being famous is all-encompassing,” she says. “I want people to like what I’m doing. I want to be OK. I want people to like me for me. And it’s really difficult.”
She is a good person – that is no surprise to us – and when people trust her they do, and that’s an important part of her job.
“I think in many ways I’ll go down in history as the first and only Candace Cameron Bure. You’ll go down in history as having never seen a closet of half a dozen outfits from my wardrobe, not because I’m too thin, not because I have something to hide. I want to be comfortable and feel good.
“I’ll never share my secrets. I always remember that my mother, who was me in many ways, would hate it if I did. She always said to me, ‘Don’t tell anyone that you have to wear heels to work so you look sexy and confident’. I have not learned that lesson yet.
“And it’s just something that comes from growing up being so kind to everybody. Some people are mean. That’s why I have to hold myself to that standard, as a kind, gentle person.
“When you make those types of decisions, you’re so much more compassionate, and you understand what other people are going through. You love your job, and you love what you do.”