Brennan Elliott is mourning the death of his wife after her years-long battle with cancer.
In an emotional Instagram post on Saturday, the Hallmark star, 49, announced “with a soul crushing devastated heart” that his wife Camilla Row has died from gastric cancer.
“Our babies and I lost our rock, a person who not only was the love of my life, my soulmate, my best friend and lover but the toughest strongest fearless person I have ever met in my life and the greatest mother to her babies,” he said. “The pain she endured only I might know but assure all who loved her she is in peace with no more pain. … Heaven is a far better place with you in it my love.”
Elliott, who shared a photo of his wife on the beach, said she would have wanted him to thank “every person from all over the world who prayed for her” over the past eight years while she battled cancer.
He also thanked her for being “the best wife, mother and friend I’ve ever known,” adding, “What you did for the #gastriccancer community was immeasurable, but what you did for me as a man will last forever.”
Elliott had been married to Row, a clinical psychologist, since 2011, and they shared two children.
In 2022, the “UnREAL” star announced on Instagram that Row, after having “several bouts with cancer” in the past, was battling Stage 4 metastatic gastric cancer.
“There is no one I consider braver, stronger, more fearless even when you’re faced with a sinister opponent who never plays fair,” he wrote at the time.
“Even after countless surgeries and chemotherapy rounds, she forges ahead into spring taking on the one of the most aggressive types of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.”
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, makes up about 1.5% of cancers diagnosed in the United States annually. According to the Mayo Clinic, metastatic stomach cancer occurs when stomach cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
Last year, Row told Today that she was diagnosed with stomach cancer after experiencing severe heartburn, which was so painful that she thought she was having a heart attack. She said her treatment included having her stomach removed and undergoing chemotherapy.
“I’ve actually just surpassed my expiration date because when I was first diagnosed (with Stage 4 cancer), the longest prognosis I got was 24 months,” she told Today.
In a 2022 interview with Hope for Stomach Cancer, Row also shared, “Initially, I was secretive of my Stage 4 status because I didn’t want people to look at me as a sickly cancer patient, but now I feel like I am on a mission to spread awareness and hopefully be an example of a Stage 4 patient who is thriving.”
Row posted on her private Instagram account in June that she was undergoing another surgery and noted her husband was by her side in the hospital, according to People. “Brennan has been pulling double duty, prepping for a movie & coming to see me daily, making the best of a makeshift office in my hospital room as I nap,” she wrote.
Elliott received numerous messages of condolences in the comments of his Instagram post announcing Row’s death, with actor Cameron Mathison writing, “This brought me to tears my beautiful friend. We’ve talked many times through her journey and I just love you all so much. I’m so so sorry for your loss and may you hold onto her beautiful memories for a lifetime.”
The official Hallmark Instagram account also commented, “We are heartbroken for you and your family. We are so sorry.”
Contributing: Elizabeth Weise
