‘Chesapeake Shores’: What Happened to Nell (Diane Ladd)?

Hallmark Channel’s Chesapeake Shores came to an end with a heartwarming episode on Oct. 16. “All or Nothing at All” wrapped up the story of the O’Brien family, with the whole clan coming together to celebrate a wedding, a new baby, and other milestones. (Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s recap of the last episode). But one person was noticeably absent. Nell O’Brien – who is played by Diane Ladd – did not appear, except in a brief glimpse in a flashback. 

Nell (Diane Ladd) was missing from ‘Chesapeake Shores’ Season 6 

Nell is Mick O’Brien’s (Treat Williams) mother. The character was introduced in the show’s first season and appeared in every season thereafter. That is, until season 6. Nell was noticeably absent from the final season of Chesapeake Shores. 

The show explained Nell’s absence by saying that she had gone on a long trip to visit family in Ireland. While she was referenced several times throughout the season, her character did not appear in person – even for her son Mick’s second wedding to Megan (Barbara Niven). However, her presence was felt in other ways, such as when she sent her daughter-in-law a thoughtful note and a hair clip as a wedding present. 

The only time fans saw Nell was very briefly in the series finale. As the O’Briens gathered around the fire pit following Mick and Megan’s wedding, Abby reflected on similar moments from the past. In a flashback montage, we saw the family – including Nell – around the fire through the years. 

Why wasn’t Diane Ladd in the last season of the Hallmark series?

Hallmark hasn’t commented on why Ladd, who is 86, did not appear in the last episodes of Chesapeake Shores. But she did have a serious health scare several years ago. As a result, she was only available for about two weeks of work on Chesapeake Shores Season 5, rather than three months as she anticipated.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Ladd shared that she’d been poisoned by the pesticides some farmers near her home used on their crops. She was misdiagnosed with pneumonia and told she had six months to live. The three-time Oscar nominee credited her daughter Laura Dern for saving her life by insisting on a second opinion. 

“I’m lucky to be here,” she said.  

Diane Ladd has said she had no plans to retire 

Ladd may not have appeared in Chesapeake Shores Season 6, but she’s said in the past that she had no plans to retire from acting.

“Not as long as God lets me breathe and walk,” she told Closer Weekly in 2020. “I will never retire until the curtain goes down on this play.” 

The Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore actor added that she felt age was a mindset. 

“Don’t accept your age — accept your mind and soul and what you’ve got to do,” she said. “Don’t fall into a pattern because someone else is doing it that way. Keep on truckin’!”

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