DCI Vera Stanhope is losing another sidekick shortly as one of the stars has announced plans to leave the ITV detective drama after spending nearly a decade on our screens.
Kenny Doughty has been by Brenda Blethyn's side since 2015 when he joined Vera as DS Aiden Healy and began working with the titular detective back in the show's fifth series. After eight years of cases, Doughty has revealed that he's "handing over DS Healy's badge".
The actor announced the news on Instagram on Monday, March 20 with a statement and a series of snaps from the show. In his post, he thanked the Vera cast and crew and dedicated time to thank his co-star and the viewers at home.
Kenny's post read: "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.
"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.
"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. X", Doughty added.
Doughty's announcement has certainly disappointed his fans, as there were floods of comments from his followers sharing how much they were going to miss DS Healy.
One fan wrote: "Ah no way Vera definitely won't be the same without you", with another saying "gutted but thank you for all the years of dedication to the show. Can't wait to see what you do next."
Aside from Vera, Kenny Doughty has also featured in Love, Lies and Records, Snowpiercer, New Tricks, Stella and Coronation Street. He replaced Vera's first right-hand man, DS Joe Ashworth after David Leon left the drama back in 2014.
Vera season 12 finished airing in February 2023, but you can stream the show on ITVX and on BritBox in the US.
