A little over a decade later and Hilarie Burton is revealing a moment between a co-star and herself that gave her the courage to walk away from the show that wasn't serving her anymore.
On Monday's Drama Queen podcast, Burton said that her time on One Tree Hill was starting to become an environment she wasn't sure she wanted to stay in, and Moira Kelly sent words of affirmation to back up her pal.
Hilarie Burton tearfully recounts leaving One Tree Hill
Hilarie Burton, 39, said that her co-star Moira Kelly, 53, was the reason she found the power within herself to just leave, and explains why in season 6 of the hit CW show she walked away.
"I was like, 'I don't know what to do,' and you said, 'Run,'" Burton said to Kelly, whom she hasn't seen since 2009.
"You started it off with, like, a joke, and I was like, 'Yeah?' You said to me, 'There are so many chapters in life and this is just one. This is just one,'" Burton continued.
Burton is one of several women to come forward and share what they went through on the show, alleging inappropriate behaviour from the higher-up producers, most notably series creator Mark Shwan.
Kelly talked further about these allegations saying, "I felt like, you know, being somewhat of a veteran, you were all so very young coming into this situation, there's a part of me that feels like I let you all down."
"If I had been more present, I would have been more aware maybe of what was going on, I surely would have said something," she continued.
"I surely would have done something, and so, if I could go back and do anything different, I would make my presence so solid on that show and I would have made myself so available to all of you," Kelly added.
Burton revealed she didn't feel the same way and added, "Oh, my God. You don't know that you saved my life.' I don't know what would have happened to me if I stayed."
She continued, "I met my husband. My son exists because Moira Kelly told me to run. And so I did. I just think about how different my life would be if she wasn't that one person to give me permission to just go."
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