Tina Hobley has quit 'Holy City'.
The 42-year-old actress is leaving the BBC medical drama after playing ward sister Chrissie Williams for 12 years because she feels ready for a new challenge.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO! magazine, she said: "It's been a long and hard decision to make. I was 29 when I started on the show. It has been a second home to me ... But I didn't become an actress to play just one role. It's time to hang up my scrubs and go out and there and give it my all. I feel I have to take that leap of faith and see what else is out there."
Tina also revealed her three children - Olivia, five and Orson, three, her kids with husband with Oliver Wheeler, and 14-year-old Isabella, her daughter from her first marriage to Steve Wallington - influenced her decision to leave the show.
The actress admits the busy filming schedule for 'Holby City'
meant she sometimes wouldn't see much of her kids and she hopes her future roles will allow her to be at home with her family more.
She explained: "I would be lying if I said it (the schedule) doesn't have a huge impact on the family. I am an emotional mother and sometimes it was tough. I might have a full-on storyline, where I wouldn't see Orson for a month because he was asleep when I left in the morning and returned in the evening. I constantly messed up his routines because I would go in and wake him up just so I could hug him ... It really struck me one day when somebody asked Olivia if she wanted to be an actress when she grew up and she said, 'No, because they never get to see their family.' That really hit home."
Tina will shoot her final scenes in September and will be seen by viewers on screen until November.
'Holby City' executive producer Oliver Kent said: "As Chrissie Williams, Tina has been a leading light at Holby City for over a decade and we will be very sorry to see her go.
"It has been a joy and privilege to work with her and she has been massively popular with the audience. We wish her all the very best for the future."
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