Roma Downey turned to religion after childhood tragedy: ‘Life introduced us to our knees’ | USAEMALL.com

Roma Downey turned to God throughout one of the vital painful moments of her life.

As a baby, the previous “Touched By an Angel” star’s mom died of a coronary heart assault. 

“My mother died when I was just a little girl,” the 63-year-old advised Fox News Digital. “I was only 10. And I can honestly say if we hadn’t had our faith to support us and our church community to surround us … life brought us to our knees.

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Downey leaned on her faith to get through tough moments in her childhood. (JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)

“But whereas we had been down there, we prayed,” the actress shared. “We prayed for power, we prayed for understanding, we prayed for consolation. And the Lord offered. [Faith is] central to who I’m and in my work.”

Downey is starring in the faith-based series “The Baxters” on Amazon Prime. It explores how a family turns to God during tough times. It features Kathie Lee Gifford, her daughter Cassidy Gifford and Ted McGinley of “Married… With Children” fame. 

Many fans still recognize Downey from “Touched By an Angel,” which became one of TV’s highest-rated dramas. The series, which told the tale of three angels sent to Earth to give people comfort, aired from 1994 until 2003. 

Downey described how it’s been essential in her decades-long career in Hollywood to create faith-based content for families.

Downey finds it essential to create more faith-based content. (Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Someone Like You Movie)

WATCH: ROMA DOWNEY TURNED TO FAITH AFTER CHILDHOOD TRAGEDY

“Not everyone is ready to deliver what they consider into what they do, notably in present enterprise,” said Downey. “But I’ve constantly completed that from my days on ‘Touched By an Angel’ by producing ‘The Bible’ collection to final Easter’s Prime Video film, ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ with Dennis Quaid, which was a narrative of hope and religion.

“I’m committed to telling stories that inspire and uplift,” Downey famous. “It’s a space I want to be in. It’s the work that I think is important.”

In 2016, it was introduced that the Emmy winner and her husband, actuality TV producer Mark Burnett, had been launching LightWorkers Media, a religion and household leisure broadcast. It goals to “create engaging uplifting and inspirational content,” in addition to inspire “people to celebrate and share the good all around them,” the community’s web site states.

“God is the light. We’re the workers,” mentioned Downey. “And our mantra always has been that it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. So, stories of hope interest me. So, making ‘The Baxters’ a hope opera is certainly something that is part of my life’s purpose, part of the calling on my life really, to help people feel connected and closer to God.”

Downey mentioned making “The Baxters” was a part of her goal in life. (Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Prime Video)

Viewers will see how religion is the glue that retains the Baxters collectively. It was no completely different from Downey’s upbringing.

“I grew up in a family that was quick to pray,” mentioned Downey. “My father used to say, ‘The family that prays together, stays together.’ … We rarely, as people of faith, get to see faithful families on television, stopping an everyday activity and just praying. And yet, we see that often in ‘The Baxters.’

“We see John and Elizabeth Baxter, performed on my own as a result of I’m again on digital camera … and Ted McGinney performs John, my husband. We’re frightened about our daughter Carrie,” Downey shared. “We be taught by the episode that her husband is untrue to her.

“It’s a heartbreaking time and a challenging time while she’s dealing with this pain of this betrayal. And we see the mother and the father come together, holding hands and praying in the name of Jesus on her behalf.”

Downey and McGinley play husband and spouse on “The Baxters.” (John Sciulli/Variety through Getty Images)

Downey insisted that even those that don’t share her religion will nonetheless respect the collection and its message.

“Everybody’s got a family. Every family’s got problems,” she mentioned. “But for people of faith, I think it will be very meaningful to see a church-going family leading this story. … For me, since ‘Touched By an Angel,’ I haven’t really been on television much. I’ve mostly been producing and writing. And so, to get back in front of the camera [and play] Elizabeth Baxter has been very fun.”

In 2018, deadline.com reported that LightWorkers Media would produce “The Baxters,” which is predicated on Karen Kinsbury’s bestselling literary collection, “The Baxter Family.” According to the outlet, the 26-novel collection has bought greater than 20 million copies worldwide.

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Downey mentioned she first discovered concerning the Baxter household after a good friend gave her a replica of the primary guide within the collection. She couldn’t put it down.

“I was reading it on an airplane from Los Angeles to New York,” Downey recalled. “I just poured through it. I was laughing, I was crying. It was meaningful. I recognized these people, the versatility of these stories, and I reached out to Karen. I didn’t know her, and I said, ‘Please, would you allow me the rights to bring this to television?’

Downey fought for the rights to adapt “The Baxters” from a novel to a television show. (Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Prime Video)

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“I’m so grateful that she did,” said Downey. “And right here we’re. … I believe that America goes to fall in love with this TV collection. … It’s difficult stuff for this household. But, finally, they arrive collectively. It’s hopeful stuff.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.