Charlotte Ritchie had to leave 'Call the Midwife' before she became too "complacent."
Charlotte Ritchie in Call the Midwife
Fans of the drama series were left weeping into their tissues after last night's (04.03.18) emotional episode when well-loved nurse Barbara Hereward - played by Charlotte - sadly died from septicaemia, but the 28-year-old actress has admitted she had no choice but to leave because she didn't want to get too "comfortable."
She said: "Barbara's had such a good journey, this feels like a good time to go before I become too complacent. That was my biggest fear - of getting so comfortable that I was taking the job for granted. I love the show, I love everyone I work with - there's no negative reason behind why I'm going."
But it won't be the last time viewers see Charlotte on screen as she has admitted she's hoping to bag herself a new role in a different television show in the future.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she said: "I've been locked in to three different shows for about five years, which is so lucky and amazing. But there was a possibility I could try new things and I thought, when will be the right time to go?"
And 'Call the Midwife' will no doubt be a job that Charlotte will remember forever as she has admitted filming the traumatic death scenes made her think about her life.
She explained: "You're representing the trauma that people have gone through. I'm not actually dying, but it doesn't stop me from having the thoughts - what would it be like? It was strange. I did have a sort of existential crisis."
But, although it was difficult to shoot, she's glad she was given a big exit storyline.
She said: "The show has never been one for pretending that the world is somehow rose-tinted. I think to have a character go through this and not survive at such a young age is really mirroring what life is really like. It's tragic, but it's true."
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