Is Lily really going to be sent off to one of the prisons that Mattie researched? It's sure looking that way.

After more than a decade and a half, Christel Khalil (Lily Winters Ashby) has decided to take a bit of a break from The Young and the Restless.

The actress took to Instagram to tell her fans that she's opted to drop to recurring status with the CBS soap so that she can "explore new things." To be clear, Khalil states that this was her decision.

"Hello Lovelies! I wanted you to be the first to know that if you see less of me on [The Young and the Restless], it's because I have decided to switch from Y&R full time to recurring status," Khalil wrote. "That means I'm not leaving, just ready (after 16 amazing years playing Lily) to explore new things! I will continue to be a proud member of the Y&R family and look forward to further adventures playing Lily. Thank you for all the love and support over the years!"

Hello Lovelies! I wanted you to be the first to know that if you see less of me on @youngandrestlesscbs , it's because I have decided to switch from Y&R full time to recurring status. That means I'm not leaving, just ready (after 16 amazing years playing Lily) to explore new things! I will continue to be a proud member of the Y&R family and look forward to further adventures playing Lily. Thank you for all the love and support over the years! xoxo Christel

A post shared by C H R I S T E L K H A L I L (@christeladnana) on Aug 27, 2018 at 1:25pm PDT

Khalil joined the cast of Y&R in July 2002. Three years later, the actress opted not to renew her contract so that she could pursue other opportunities outside of daytime. About a year later, Khalil returned to Y&R. In 2012, Khalil earned a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Younger Actress category to go along with a 2008 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series.

Khalil's decision to mvoe to recurring status was apparently well-received by show executives. Head writer and executive producer Mal Young tweeted that he was "pleased to say that both she and Lily will remain a much-loved part of Y&R."

We fully support Christel's decision. We're pleased to say that both she and Lily will remain a much-loved part of Y&R https://t.co/H3MhKghXiE

— mal young (@malyoung) August 27, 2018

In addition to her work on The Young and the Restless, Khalil has appeared on Family Matters, That's So Raven, and 2 Broke Girls. She's slated to appeared in the film No Good Deed, which is currently in post-production.

What do you think of Khalil's decision to step away from Y&R? Will you miss seeing Lily on-screen on a regular basis? 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.

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