Kristian Alfonso leaving Days of Our Lives after 37 years

The world of Days of Our Lives is losing a legend prior to production kicking back off. According to a report from Deadline, longtime star Kristian Alfonso is leaving the world of the NBC soap after 37 years on the show. It’s a shocking amount of time — it’s longer than some viewers have even been alive — and it shows the value of familiar faces and consistent performances in this genre. She’s a mainstay and the series is clearly going to miss her when production starts back up in September.

Here is some more of what Alfonso had to say on the subject in a statement:

“Days of Our Lives has been a vital part of both my personal and professional journey … I am forever grateful to NBC and the late Betty Corday, who took a chance on me many years ago and changed my life. I have built some lifelong friendships with my extraordinarily talented castmates. Days has one of the hardest working crews in all of television, many of whom have become part of my extended family. I feel blessed and honored to have been invited into people’s homes for over three decades.

“However, it is now time for me to write my next chapter. I will not be returning to Days when it resumes production in September. I’ve already filmed my last episode several months ago. Finally, to the incredibly loyal fans of Days, many of you have been with me on this journey from the beginning. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, love and support. I could not have done it without YOU!!!”

Alfonso first started to play Hope all the way back in 1983, and has appeared in more than 2,500 episodes in total. We hope that there is some sort of proper tribute to her work at some point — it always seems in general like this genre should do more to honor their greats.

As for whether or not a return could someday be in the cards, you never quite know … but we wouldn’t count on it.

Related News – Get more news now on Days of Our Lives returning to production

What do you think about Kristian Alfonso leaving Days of Our Lives?

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