Graham Wardle opens up about his decision to quit Heartland and his role as Ty Borden

Graham Wardle played Ty Borden for thirteen seasons before he decided he was done. He didn’t make a fuss about it. He told The Canadian Press that he felt in his heart it was time to move in a new direction, and left it at that. There was no contract dispute, no creative fallout, and no behind-the-scenes drama — just a man in his mid-thirties who had spent most of his adult life on the same ranch set in High River, Alberta, and was ready for a change.

The writers wrote Ty out with little warning. In the Season 14 premiere, Ty collapses and dies without warning in the middle of an ordinary day. There were no emotional bedside speeches or long, drawn-out goodbyes.

The character who had arrived on Heartland as an angry teenage delinquent — working off a community service sentence at the Fleming ranch, of all places — died the way most people do: before anyone was ready.

Shortly after the news broke, Wardle posted a YouTube video admitting that walking away from the show and the cast was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He had literally grown up with these people. Amber Marshall, who plays Amy, had been his on-screen partner for over a decade.

“I’m following my heart, and I don’t know where it’s leading me,” he told fans, “but that’s what life is about.”

He didn’t rush right back onto another TV set, either. Instead, Wardle launched a podcast called Time Has Come, hosting conversations about creativity, spirituality, and personal growth. One of his first guests was Marshall herself, and the two sat down to talk, reflecting about what all those years together actually meant to them. Outside of that, he has spent his time traveling, writing, and pursuing photography—deliberately choosing a much slower, quieter lifestyle.

For Heartland, which has now run for nearly 20 seasons and remains a massive hit, Ty’s absence became a permanent part of the show’s structure, rather than a hole they tried to quickly patch over. The writers didn’t rush to replace him or wrap up Amy’s grief in a neat little bow. Instead, they let the loss sit with her across multiple seasons, slowly shaping the person she became. Ty’s name still comes up on the ranch, and his memory still carries real weight.

That kind of impact was only possible because Wardle left on his own terms. He didn’t overstay his welcome, and he didn’t leave angry. The years he spent building Ty Borden—taking him from a juvenile delinquent to a husband, father, and veterinarian—feel complete rather than interrupted. Not every long-running TV character gets that kind of closure, but this one did.

For more context on how the show carried that weight, see Top 10 Saddest Heartland Moments.