As Kate Mansi, aka Abigail Deveraux, bids adieu to Days of Our Lives, she is eager to open a new chapter in her career. In a lengthy post on Instagram, Mansi has confirmed that she is indeed leaving Days of Our Lives after five years, but would not say if her character will be killed off.
Kate Mansi and Days of Our Lives are parting ways. For several weeks, the rumor of Mansi’s departure circulated on the Internet, and on Wednesday, she took to Instagram to break the news to her many fans. The 27-year-old accomplished ballet dancer explained that after five years of playing Abigail Deveraux, (the daughter of Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) and Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves), on Days of Our Lives, she has decided to move on.
Mansi, who has done charity work in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, went on to say that she had been thinking about leaving the NBC soap opera for some time now but opted to wait until the show’s historic 50th-anniversary celebration. A portion of her post read:
“I’ve kept quiet as long as I could, but since it seems news has leaked, I feel I owe it to you all to set the record straight. Alright… here it is: After much thought, I’ve decided the timing was right for me to set sail from Salem. I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every single beautiful and messy moment of being Abigail, and will always treasure our time together. I want to be very clear in saying that this was not a decision I took lightly.”
Mansi’s character, who recently gave birth to a baby boy, is expected to get engaged to her serial killer baby daddy, Chad DiMera, (Billy Flynn) before her departure. Mansi recently opened up about the role saying that she has a lot in common with Abigail Deveraux. She revealed:
“I’m most like Abby because I’m organized, and I think we both take ourselves a little too seriously.I’m least like Abby in that I’m very transparent and Italian that way, and totally wear my emotions on my sleeve.”
Abigail Deveraux was introduced to the show in 1992, and she was played by twin babies – Meghan and Michael Nelson, and twins – Paige and Ryanne Kettner took over in December 1994. Megan Corletto started portraying Abigail in January 2001; Jillian Clare took over in August 2003, and Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson inhabited the role from November 2004 to May 2007.
NBC has declined to comment on whether the part would be terminated or be recast again (fans are hoping for the latter). So, what is next for Kate Mansi?
The former How I Met Your Mother actress worked with Riley Egan in an upcoming film called Muse. The thriller, which was directed and written by John Burr, is about a struggling painter’s life that is changed when he meets a beautiful Irish muse, Leannán Sí, he then kills anyone, who threatens her.
I wish you all the best! I will miss seeing you as Abigail though and I hope they don’t kill the character! I’m just so dissapointed that they kept messing with Abi and Chad for way too long – they should have had the chance to establish a relationship as a family.
Kind Regards,
Alina