Alexandra Breckenridge is keeping busy amid the ongoing delays to Virgin River. The actress – who is also a talented cook – jetted to Los Angeles for a surprise appearance on The Talk. Joining Natalie Morales, Sheryl Underwood and Akbar Gbajabiamila for a segment in the kitchen, Alexandra put her culinary skills to the test as she whipped up a chicken recipe live on Wednesday's show.
Taking to Instagram after her surprise appearance, Alexandra, 41, shared a clip from the segment, which she captioned: "Cooking my whole roasted curry seasoned chicken on the talk was so much fun, thank you to everyone I had a blast."
Sparking a reaction from fans, many were quick to shower the actress with praise. "Great to see you on TV and not just on the big screen. You're beautiful as ever! Thank you for your good work and bless you always!" wrote one.
"This was so much fun to watch. You are right in your element in the kitchen," added another. Meanwhile a third penned: "You need a cooking show alex maybe make a Youtube channel and love your haircut."
While Alexandra is internationally recognised for her portrayal of Mel Monroe in Virgin River, life is looking a little different for the star these days. Typically, she would have returned to set by now, but the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes have delayed production for season six.
Back in September, Alexandra revealed that she's turned her attention to cooking for the time being, in a bid to stay busy and creative.
"I feel like I've been cooking since I got back from dropping off my daughter at school. I'm trying to do something fun and creative with my time because SAG is on strike and I can't go back to work and I can't even talk about work," she explained to her followers.
"So, if all y'all are trying to send me messages asking about work-related things, I can't answer you and I'm really sorry about that."
The mom-of-two continued: "I can't post anything, I can't promote anything. It's very weird. I'm not usually somebody who likes doing a lot of promotion or interviews just because it can be rather daunting and stressful. So I'm trying to do cooking because that's what I love to do and share with you when I'm at home strike or no strike."
While Alexandra and her co-stars remain on strike, there is some good news for fans! Now that the writers' strikes have been settled, the storylines for season six of Virgin River are being developed. Earlier this week, Virgin River's official Instagram account announced that the writers are officially back in the writers' room and are working on the new season.
MORE: Virgin River shares major season six news – and fans are thrilled
READ: Virgin River boss says fans should be 'worried' for beloved character in season five part two
Alongside snaps of the writers smiling for a selfie whilst gathered around a table, the caption read: "Thrilled to have our writing team back in action, diving into Season 6!"
Fans were delighted with the news and took to the comments section to express their excitement. "Yay!!! Such good news! Such a great start. Hopefully you'll get the actors back soon and can start shooting season 6!! We'd love to see lots of Mel and Jack happy. As well as have Mel pregnant and not lose the baby!!" replied one.
Echoing this sentiment, viewers also called for the writers to focus on more uplifting stories following the dramatic fifth season and urged them to feature more of Jack and Mel. One person wrote: "More Mel and Jack. Please listen to the viewers. Not enough Mel and Jack in season 5," while another added: "Please more Mel and Jack. We miss them."