Christian Actress Candace Cameron Bure Leaving 'The View' to Focus on Family

Dec 08, 2016 11:48 AM EST

Christian actress Candace Cameron Bure has announced she is leaving "The View" to focus on her family after spending over a year as the talk show's "conservative Christian" personality.

The 40-year-old "Full House" actress and cohost held back tears as she announced her departure at the top of Thursday morning's show.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but before I started "The View", I had already had my commitments to Fuller House and my work with the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. And because of the success of those, my commitments have become even greater with those shows."

Cameron Bure, who recently spent time in Tokyo promoting season two of "Fuller House", explained that the continual travel became too much for her and took her away from her husband and three children.

"The commute of going West Coast to East Coast every single week for me has been tough on me and hard for my family as well," she said. "And I want to make sure that I'm able to spend at much time with my children and invest in all the projects that I do to the fullest extent."

"Its a lot," she added. "I'm trying to be superwoman and I'm going to not try anymore."

Cameron Bure, who is also a "Dancing With the Stars" alum, was reportedly hired for "The View" in an attempt to feature a "controversial conservative" personality, similar to that former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who left "The View" in 2013 for a position at Fox News.

During her time on the ABC talk show, Cameron Bure, an outspoken Christian, regularly sparred with her more liberal co-hosts over issues like abortion, prayer, and religious freedom.

In June, she told Fox News that sometimes, it's difficult being the only conservative on the show.

"I realize sometimes I am the lone conservative or lone Republican sitting at the table somedays," she said. "And somedays it's hard to not have backup but we are all there to share our opinions and I think that's one thing that about me, I don't get hot headed."

But while she possesses a worldview very different from her "The View" co-hosts, Cameron Bure on Thursday was quick to thank them for their friendship - particularly Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar.

"Particularly, I want to thank you for welcoming me to this table," she said. "I have learned to much for you, and I'm so grateful for you."

"It's been really wonderful and I'm grateful and to Barbara [Walters] as well as showrunner Candi Carter," she added.

The View airs weekdays (11 a.m. ET) on ABC.