Katie Stevens Says She and Her 'Bold Type' Costars Will Be 'Friends Forever'

The Bold Type may be coming to an end, but Katie Stevens is holding onto the family she's formed over the years with her costars.

"I don't think that there will ever be another experience that I have in my career [like this]," the actress, 28, tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's issue about her close friendships with costars Meghann Fahy and Aisha Dee. "We were like, 'We're going to be like [Friends stars] Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. We're going to be friends forever!'"

While filming the new season of their hit Freeform series, which premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, Stevens says she, Fahy, 31, and Dee, 27, bonded more than ever as they navigated shooting a show during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We knew that COVID was going to be crazy, so we coordinated it to where we got apartments in the same building this last season," says Stevens. "We really only saw each other and only hung out with each other. We would finish work, order dinner together and sit on the couch and watch The Hills."

Reality TV marathons aside, the star says having "sisters" to lean on during a difficult time was crucial to their mental health.

"All of the COVID protocols taxed our emotions, and it was just so great to be able to have each other to lean on and to vent to and talk through things with," says Stevens. "We would talk to our family and friends from home, but it's hard to explain to them what's going on and how you're feeling about it. It was nice for us to be able to work through that with each other."

Normally, everyone on The Bold Type set is "lovey-dovey," adds Stevens. But with the safety protocols in place, cast and crew could only be within three feet of someone for a period of 15 minutes per day.

"The last day we were shooting an event scene, and it's funny because we didn't get to have a wrap party or anything like that. But we're all in these really pretty dresses, and it started to hit us towards the end of the day when people were getting wrapped. They were like, 'That's the last scene!' Everybody's clapping and crying," recalls Stevens. "It was a beautiful way to end."

Now back home in Nashville, Stevens is spending quality time with her husband, musician Paul DiGiovanni, whom she wed in October 2019.

"We were fully prepared for our [first] married year to be me filming and then having a couple months off. It was really nice to have 10 uninterrupted months [together]," she says of the silver lining she found amid the pandemic.

When the cast and crew were called back to set, Stevens says her husband encouraged her to remain present while shooting the final season.

"I get a lot of anxiety when we're apart and it's not for any other reason other than just wanting to be together," she says. "He dropped me off at the airport and was like, 'Look, when this experience is over, you're going to miss all those people. My one wish for you is to just be where you are, and me and [our dog] Winnie will be here when you get back.'"

"I'm so lucky to be with a partner who supports that and understands that," adds Stevens.

Last season, fans and critics alike were moved by Stevens' portrayal of Jane's BRCA1 gene mutation discovery and her subsequent preventative double mastectomy.

"My husband went through losing his mother to breast cancer. I am obviously not happy he had to go through that experience at a young age, but to be able to kind of tell his story and so many other people's stories and shed light on that was really important to me," she says. "I learned so much from that storyline, and the fact that we can give that to the audience as well was super fulfilling."

After spending the last several years shooting The Bold Type, Stevens says she's looking forward to stepping into other roles and even making a return to music.

"I would love to sing more. I took some years off because I got to a place where I was really discouraged. [Now] I'm doing it again because I love to sing," she says. "I'm trying to go into a space of writing music with newfound perspective."

As for her next acting role, the star says she's not putting any pressure on herself.

"I would love to do more films. I would love to do something that's very different from Jane. But I've found that everything great that's come my way has been unexpected," she says. "So I'm just giving myself over to that. I've been so lucky to do projects that really mean something and have an impact on people."

The final season of The Bold Type premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on Freefrom.