'The Young and the Restless' star to quit hit series after more than 30 years

Eileen Davidson has been giving life to Ashley Abbot in “The Young & The Restless” on and off for 36 years. She confirmed her exit from the show on Twitter, months after winning an Emmy Award for her performance on the show.

Ashley Abbot has been described as a headstrong, sassy and dynamic character for several critics, and for Eileen, the woman behind the character, Abbot is a heroine that has been victimized in so many occasions that she wants to rise above everything and find happiness.

Now, three decades after she was cast for the part, Eileen is leaving Ashley behind once again. The first time it happened, back in 1988, the character was recast and it passed from Brenda Epperson (1988-1995) to Shari Shattuck (1996-1999) before Davidson’s return in 1999.

Later, in 2006, Davidson left the soap opera again to jump to its sister soap, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” where she stayed for about eight months before returning once again to “Y&R” in 2008. Four years later, Sony Pictures terminated Eileen’s contract on the series so they could have her on “Days of Our Lives.” She finally returned to the show on 2014, until now.

In a statement posted on her Twitter account on June 27, Eileen revealed she will appear on the soap opera until September and said the decision was made to regain some control over her life. She wrote:

“Yes, I am leaving my second home @YandR_CBS in September. I’ve been so blessed to be able to play Ashley Abbott and work with the amazing people on the show and have nothing but gratitude and love for all!!! Time for a little more control over my day to day!”

The role earned Davidson a Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series this year. She had been nominated in the same category back in 2003 but lost against Susan Flannery from “The Bold and The Beautiful.”

The 59-years-old beauty was also a cast member of the Bravo reality show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” from 2014 to 2017, when she decided to leave the show because of her working schedule. She said in a statement at the time:

“After a lot of careful thought, I’ve decided because of my crazy schedules at The Young and the Restless, as well as Days of Our Lives, it’s best for me and my family if I step away from being a Housewife for now.”

Last month, Eileen visited Steve Harvey on his talk show, “Steve,” and when asked which series has more drama, if “Young and the Restless” or “Housewives of Beverly Hills,” she didn’t stop a second to think before answering “The Housewives.”

“Doesn’t that kind of make sense?” Davidson said. “I mean, honestly, the ‘Housewives’ isn’t scripted, and you never know what you’re going to get. You go to have lunch, and you end up with a drink in your face.”

We’re looking forward to Eileen next projects, and we wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors.