‘Downton Abbey’ season 3 spoilers: Will Maggie Smith return after finale?

The finale for “Downton Abbey” is now only a matter of hours away, but there are still all sorts of questions circulating about the future of the hit series on ITV. The good news that we now already is that the show will almost certainly be back for a fourth season given the fact that no one would want to see the show end abruptly. However, the bad news is that there are still discussions pertaining to the future of many actors on the show. Dan Stevens has been coy about his own plans thanks to a recent stint on Broadway, and talk surrounding Maggie Smith has also been on high alert for months.

The latest scoop coming in concerning her future actually has to do with her health, as a source recently told the Mirror that the actress was hospitalized recently in London over a heart ailment, even though she was allowed to be released the very next day:

“It was a big scare for Maggie and she was really worried because she was in a lot of pain. It was extremely distressing for her but she did the right thing and made sure she got to hospital as soon as possible. Maggie loves her work and her performances in Downton have helped make it a worldwide success. But she will have to think very carefully now about whether she stays in the show. Her health always comes first and I am sure she will take advice from the experts.”

The 77-year old actress has won Emmys for her role as the Dowager Countess on the show, but all year long her major argument concerning her future is that she is not sure whether she wants to press forward at her age. It is certainly possible that she could carry on in a reduced role, that some of this talk before the health scare was a negotiating move for a new contract, or even that she may simply want to do other things after being known primarily for film over the years.

Do you think “Downton Abbey” would be the same without Violet around?