The first thing I feel obligated to mention is the fact that I actually watched Days of Our Lives at at least three different points in my life. That may seem insane, but man, that show had some high quality soap opera drama? Where else would you find a subplot of a housewife possessed by Satan? All that is neither here nor there right now, as I just learned of Alison Sweeney leaving Days of Our Lives after 21 years on the show. Sorry, but for those who don’t know, this is HUGE news.

The actress (who has been on the show since she was 16) just really wants to spend some time with her family. She says between Days and The Biggest Loser, she has never had more than two weeks off in well over a decade. The thought of getting to be a Mom and not having to be so driven is appealing to her, and we can’t say we blame her. We can only imagine how exhausting it must be to be on a soap opera. That being said, she will be for the rest of the year, and has no idea how they plan to write off her character.

This is Sami we are talking about, so safe to say she wont walk quietly off into that cold night. No, Sami will go kicking and screaming, which is just why we love the character.

(Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images)