Yahoo Finance Candace Cameron Bure Would 'Never' Make Permanent Return to The View : 'One of the Toughest Jobs'
Frazer Harrison/Getty Candace Cameron Bure
Candace Cameron Bure's time at The View was certainly a challenge, but one she says she's grateful for to this day.
As the ABC show celebrates its 25th anniversary with this week's launch of Behind The Table, a weekly podcast featuring former and current co-hosts, Cameron Bure reflects on her experience as a panelist from 2015 to 2016.
"My time at The View was exciting, challenging, informative, emotional, and stressful. It was one of the toughest jobs I've held, but I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to sit at the table with such talented, smart, capable women," the actress, 45, tells PEOPLE. "I also established long-standing relationships off-camera with show producers, crew, talent and guests, which I'm forever thankful for."
Cameron Bure adds: "While I'd never want a permanent seat at the table again, it always feels like family when I come back to the show as a guest."
RELATED: Candace Cameron Bure Says She Doesn't Miss 'Talking About Politics' During Her Time on The View
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Cameron Bure held a seat at The View table during seasons 19 and 20. When she announced her departure, she cited her commitments to Fuller House and the Hallmark Channel as the reason for her exit.
Looking back, Cameron Bure says the biggest challenge from her time as a co-host was "diving headfirst into politics."
"When I was asked to join the table, the show was supposed to steer towards more ever-green topics and less about politics," she recalls. "Enter Donald Trump into the presidential race. It changed everything."
"The lighter version of the show I thought I was going to work for suddenly became solely about politics. I felt like I was back in school, doing 4-5 hours of homework a night. It was exhausting," she continues. "Along with that, I was traveling back and forth from Los Angeles to New York every week to be with my family on the weekends. I'm surprised I kept up with my schedule for as long as I did."
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Still, Cameron Bure cherishes some "great memories" from her two-season stint, including getting the opportunity to interview Hillary Clinton, Kevin Costner and Miss Piggy.
"I'll always remember warm moments on and off camera with [co-hosts] Whoopi [Goldberg] and Joy [Behar]," she says. "The show threw me an epic 40th birthday party on air complete with surprise guests like Marilu Henner, Sally Field, For King & Country and, of course, my family. My most fun day was dressing up as Tinkerbell and flying down from the rafters on the Halloween episode. We definitely had very fun times together."
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The View's Behind the Table podcast will showcase candid and revealing conversations, never-before-heard stories and firsthand details behind headline-making controversies. Past and present co-hosts will appear, including Cameron Bure, Meredith Vieira, Sherri Shepherd, Lisa Ling and more.
In a sneak peek, Cameron Bure recalls how quickly the series pivoted its focus when Trump announced his run for president.
"They told me they were going so much lighter, so I was like, 'Absolutely, 100 percent! I'm on board,'" she tells former co-host Raven-Symoné and current co-host Sara Haines. "And then it all changed when Trump entered the race."
New episodes of Behind the Table drop every Tuesday.
