A Longtime Days of Our Lives Star Is Leaving the Soap

Camila Banus is bidding farewell to Salem.

The Days of Our Lives star, who has played Gabi Hernandez on the iconic soap opera for the last 13 years, has decided to leave the Peacock series, E! News has confirmed.

"My main goal and hope in announcing my departure from Days of Our Lives and my beloved character of Gabi, is to allow myself new opportunities for work—whether that be movie or other TV opportunities," the 32-year-old exclusively told E! News on May 2. "Although I'm grateful for my 13 years at Days, I had a lot of restrictions, especially when it came to other job opportunities."

"Now that the Days chapter has ended," she continued, "I'm ready and eager to dive into new projects, challenge myself in unique and different roles and continue representing Latinas in this industry."

In addition to new professional ventures, Banus, whose last day on set was April 28, recently revealed she hopes to have her first child with husband Marlon Aquino in the near future.

"My husband and I are trying to start a family, hopefully," she told The Wrap, who first broke the news of Banus' exit, on May 1. "And that's another big factor in possibly just slowing down for a little bit and seeing kind of where this time takes me."

The Emmy-nominated actress also acknowledged her appreciation for her time on Days

"That's an enormous amount of time, especially in this industry where it's such an inconsistent employment process that I call it the 99 percent unemployment industry for everyone," she continued. "I've been very blessed and very lucky to have been representing Latinas and Latinos as Gabi."

Banus' final episode of Days will air later this year.

Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock. Keep reading to see more stars who left hit TV shows.

Fans of the ABC medical hit were feeling the blues when Ellen Pompeo announced that, after 19 seasons as the series' lead character, she would be appearing in her last episode as a full-time cast member in the Feb. 23 episode.

Pompeo explained the reasoning behind her decision to scrub out during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. 

"I gotta mix it up a little bit," she said. "I'm 53, my brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new. You can't do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day."

Fortunately, viewers won't have to wait too long to see Meredith Grey again, with Pompeo confirming in a Nov. 14 Instagram post that she would "definitely be back to visit" in the future. 

The Sex Lives of College Girls fans were surprised when star Reneé Rapp confirmed in July that she's leaving the Max series in the midst of filming season three.

"College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people. 2 and a half years later—it's given me y'all and this community," Rapp—who portrayed Essex College student Leighton Murray—wrote in a July 10 Instagram. "A lot of queer work gets belittled—but playing Leighton has changed me life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y'all a little bit of that too. She's such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count. I wouldn't be half the person I am without her and y'all."

She added, "I love that bitch more than you know. I'm so excited for this season and I can't for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls." 

After six seasons of co-hosting Live alongside Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest announced on Feb. 16 that he is leaving the daytime talk show, calling it a "hard decision" and one that was "bittersweet."

As for who will step in to replace the American Idol emcee? Ripa's husband of 26 years Mark Consuelos—which means the show will aptly be renamed Live With Kelly and Mark in the future.

"Working alongside Kelly has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career," Ryan said in a statement. "She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other's lives, I will miss our mornings together."

After serving his five-year tenure as football coach and father figure Billy Baker, Taye Diggs exited the CW series in its fifth season. The Rent alum made his final appearance in the Feb. 13 episode, which saw his character die off-screen in a bus crash.

While Diggs said he was "having a great time" on All American, he started to get a "feeling" that it was time for him to move on in season four and he began having conversations with showrunner Nkechi Okoro Caroll about his departure.

"We'd been keeping in contact, so she had known, and we'd been talking," he explained to TV Line. "And we decided how to go about it, and storylines and whatnot, so it was all above board, and everyone was in the know."

However, Diggs did share that there is a "one hundred percent" chance that fans could see him return via flashbacks or dream sequences if it were solely up to him.

"I asked for it," he confirmed. "I don't know if it's going to happen, but I'm open to it."

School seems to be out forever for Emma Mackey, who revealed she will not be returning for a potential fifth season of the Netflix drama. 

When the RadioTimes asked her at the BAFTA Awards if she'd be back, Mackey, who plays Maeve Wiley, said, "Season five? I've just finished the fourth one last week!" She then added: "No, I don't think I'll be in Season five."

Phoebe Dynevor has put down her Lady Whistledown pamphlet—for now. The season one leading lady told Screen Rant Jan. 28, "Sadly not in season three. Potentially in the future. But season three, I'm just excited to watch as a viewer."

On Jan. 30, Nina Ali announced she's exiting the Bravo series after just one season. "It was an honor to be a part of the debut season of The Real Housewives of Dubai, and to help @bravotv bring this beloved franchise to the city I call home," the mother of three and businesswoman announced on Instagram. "I'm grateful to the network, Andy Cohen, and the team at Truly Original for welcoming me into this extended family and for embracing the diversity of riches Dubai has to offer."

On Jan. 20, a source close to production for NBC's Chicago Fire told E! News that Taylor Kinney was taking a break from the series to deal with a personal matter.

On Jan. 12, Kathryn Dennis confirmed she was exiting Bravo's Southern Charm after eight seasons. 

"What a wild ride it's been!" the 31-year-old told People in a statement. "Can you believe I was 21 when I first started filming Southern Charm, back in its first season? That was in 2013, and in the decade that followed, it's safe to say my life changed in ways I could never imagine."

"It hasn't always been easy," Kathryn continued, "but I'm so lucky to have had reality cameras there, capturing so many moments that I'll never forget (and a few, even, that I'd like to)."

On Jan. 9, Diana Jenkins announced she's leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after just one season. "As so many of you know, Asher and I are expecting our second child later this year," she wrote in an Instagram post. "You also know that due to many factors, this pregnancy is considered high risk and I am on doctor-advised bed rest."

She continued, "To that end, I am not able to devote myself fully to filming the next season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I would like to thank Bravo and Evolution for allowing me to focus on my pregnancy, and for their support and understanding. I promise to continue sharing my fertility journey with you."

On Jan. 5, Lisa Rinna announced that she was leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons. "This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series," Rinna said in a statement to E! News. "It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!"

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