As Toby Sandeman and Mae Whitman gear up for their Hallmark debuts in the holiday series Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas, fans are buzzing about their off-screen romances. Toby was recently linked to Tiffany Haddish, while Mae is happily coupled up with co-star Carlos Valdes and their new baby. Spill the tea on these leading ladies and gents finding love.
Hold onto your mistletoe, darlings—Hallmark's Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas is serving more than just festive flings on screen. Toby Sandeman, the 37-year-old actor and model who's trading Netflix courts for Hallmark hearts, is best known for Running Point. This former track star snagged two gold medals for Great Britain at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships, but his real sprint is into the gossip pages. Is he single or married? Unclear if Toby's dating anyone now, but October 2025 had everyone talking when he and Tiffany Haddish hit a star-studded Halloween party together. 😏
Flashback to April 2025: On The Today Show, Tiffany gushed about her crush on Toby's Running Point character. He fired back with a flirty video message from Ireland: “A little birdie told me that I’m your favorite character on Running Point. Always did think you had great taste. I’m in Ireland right now, but I wanted you to know that I will be tuning in and rooting for you. Now before I go, let’s take care of a little business. I think we need to get you on Running Point to play my wife. What are your thoughts?” Tiffany's response? Pure fire: “Yes, I do. I do, and I do. We can play pretend and we can play for real. I just, oh my goodness. I think that was beautiful! I’m gonna call Kate Hudson and say, ‘Girl, he offered me a job!’ I think I need to get a ticket to Ireland. We’ve gotta do a chemistry test!”
By August 2025, amid baby rumors Tiffany shut down, she cheekily floated Toby as potential baby daddy. Messy? Iconic? You decide.
Meanwhile, co-star Mae Whitman, also 37 and a Parenthood vet (plus Good Girls, The DUFF, Hope Floats), plays a love-seeking textile designer in the series. She's very much taken—by Up Here co-star Carlos Valdes, whom she met on set in 2022. The Hulu musical dropped in March 2023 but got axed after one season. Fast-forward to August 2024: Mae announced her first child, son Miles (nod to Parenthood's Miles Heizer), via Instagram: “Not to be a Bieber about it but I too just gave birth to our son, Miles. From the moment we heard the first tiny sound out of his tiny piggy mouth we were besotted. He is the kindest, gentlest, smartest, funniest little beebee and he’s our best friend (pretty much exactly like his namesake Uncle Miles @younggoth).”
The dad's reveal? Courtesy of Parenthood's Lauren Graham in March 2025: “They’re in New York now. Carlos, her baby daddy, is on Broadway in Hadestown, which I feel happy to plug because he’s fantastic in it, Carlos Valdes.” She added, “He’s really great. And so they’re in New York for the next while and then she got this job in Ireland. So she’s in Ireland with the baby.” Mae filmed the series there, and by October 2025, she dropped a rare couple pic confirming they're still going strong. 💕
So, with on-screen dates and off-screen drama, is Hallmark brewing real holiday magic? Eyes on these two.