Vera star Brenda Blethyn has announced her exit from the hit ITV detective series.
The actor, who has starred as DCI Vera Stanhope for 13 seasons, has confirmed she will leave the show after the 14th and final season, which is currently being filmed.
"Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I’m sad to be saying Cheerio," she said in a press statement. "But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen years.
Related: Vera's Brenda Blethyn shares disappointing update on show future
"I’ll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role," she continued.
"The Producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I’m going to miss them, but I won’t forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Season 14 of Vera will be made up of two episodes, each of which will be 120 minutes long.
Related: Vera star explains reasons behind "difficult decision" to quit show
Executive Producer Kate Bartlett called Blethyn's departure "the end of an era", adding: "We will all be very sad to say goodbye to Brenda and everyone involved in making the show."
Vera returned for season 13 in January 2024, with three feature-length episodes. Following their broadcast, a fan tweeted Blethyn out of concern that the 13th season was the last.
"It's not the last," Blethyn replied at the time, giving away no further details.
The first season of Vera aired in May 2011, with Blethyn originating the detective role in her trademark trench coat and hat. The series is based on the bestselling books by author Ann Cleeves.
Vera season 1-13 are available to stream on ITVX.
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Emily is an experienced entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow. She joined Digital Spy as Acting Deputy News Editor in May 2023, and became Deputy News Editor the following year.
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