It's been a rough week for Days of our Lives fans, who not only had to witness the gut-wrenching on-screen death of Shawn Christian's Dr. Daniel Jonas but also learned that Kate Mansi has opted out of the role of Abigail Deveraux and will exit the screen this spring.
An outpouring of supportive messages from fans has hit the Internet, and some of the stars' longtime cast mates have reached out to the exiting actors, as well.
Shortly after Mansi confirmed her departure from the show, Robert Scott Wilson (Ben Weston) took to Twitter to congratulate his costar on a job well done during the scenes in which his maniacal alter ego took Abigail hostage. "I think we make ppl feel feelings," he wrote. "Grateful to have walked the walk down Crazy Town w/ ya @KateMansi"
Meanwhile, Arianne Zucker (Nicole Walker) publicly reached out to Christian, whose alter ego just died in a tragic car accident, whisking the actor off the canvas. "Kudos to @ShawnC4Real 4 all your hard work & dedication as Daniel!" she wrote. "U made my work easy! Thank U for letting me cry all over you. Snot & all."
Both Christian and Mansi opted out of their contracts voluntarily. Mansi first joined DAYS in 2011, while Christian originated the role of Daniel in 2008.
What do you think about both Christian and Mansi opting to leave DAYS? Why do you think they made the decision not to extend their contracts? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.