Siobhan Finneran quits Downton Abbey

SIOBHAN FINNERAN is the latest star to quit Downton Abbey.

The actress, Lady Crawley's scheming maid Sarah O'Brien, feels it's time to "move on".

But she has no idea how Downton — the fourth series of which is now being filmed — will handle O'Brien's departure.

Siobhan said: "I presume my absence is explained — you'll have to wait and see. I loved the job and I miss my mates on the show, but it was time to move on."

A show source said: "The door will be left open for Siobhan to return."

Losing one of the most hated characters is a huge blow for the hit ITV drama.

It comes after Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, also quit. While Dan has headed to Hollywood, Siobhan has landed a role in BBC One's The Syndicate.

She plays a nurse who wins a £14million share of a Lottery jackpot.

Siobhan is delighted to be playing a character viewers will like rather than "a harsh, nasty piece of work" like O'Brien. She said: "It is nice to play someone the audience is willing on. Watching the first episode, I was delighted to see how many times I smiled.

"It's great for the story that starts to unfold. And there's no wig and no corsets, which is good."

Siobhan, whose character is a victim of domestic abuse, added: "Mandy's vulnerable, so it was great to do that."

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