Kenny Doughty has confirmed he has quit Vera, after eight years on the ITV drama, announcing his departure in an emotional Instagram statement.
At the start of this month, Kenny, the popular actor famous for playing DS Aiden Healy in the Sunday night favourite, sparked concern amongst fans when he posted a series of photos from the Vera set on social media and captioned them 'thank you for the memories.' He offered no further explanation as to what he meant, with Vera devotees left worried for the future of the programme.
Well now it's all become clear as, returning to Instagram for the first time since that post, Kenny broke the news that he'd left Vera. His statement began: "After 8 years & 35 Vera films I’ve made the difficult decision of handing over DS Healy’s badge. I can confirm I am leaving Vera."
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Going onto pay tribute to the Vera cast and crew and singling out partner in crime Brenda Blethyn, Kenny continued: "I want to thank everyone who’s made this amazing time so joyous, ITV, Silverprint, all the brilliant cast and crew BUT of course my buddy & inspiration Brenda Blethyn. The perfect leading star who I owe so much to. I feel lucky to have you as a friend, you make me howl with laughter & have been a rock for me over the years. I can’t thank you enough. Precious times."
Kenny ended his post with a message for fans, writing: "And finally the Vera fans: without you and your support I would never have made so many films. You really are the best fans in the world. Thank you so much for your loyalty & love for the show."
There was an instant outpouring of sadness at the news, with one of Kenny's followers replying: "Sad news but what a lovely way to say goodbye x fabulous show and good luck with whatever’s next" and another commenting: "I'm truly gutted that you're leaving Kenny but I wish you all the best for whatever you do next and hopefully you'll be back on our tv screens soon."
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