Cape Town - Veteran Days of Our Lives actor, Renee Jones, has decided to finally call it quits after 20 years acting in the show, reports tvguide.com.
Renee, who played Lexie Carver in the NBC soapie, has decided to retire and will be from the show which brought her fame as the daughter of the evil Stefano Dimera. She will make her last appearance on the soap in June.
According to the actress the decision to retire was not taken overnight.
"It's been on my mind for over a year. I am so grateful to Days for 20 years of steady employment - it's been a fantastic opportunity - but I finally had to stop and ask myself, "What really makes me happy? What really brings me joy in life?" And it's not acting. I just don't want to do this anymore," she told tvguide.com.
'About the work only'
She claimed that she could not take the pressure of being on set every day.
"For me, it's always been about the work only, and now it's at the point where I'm not even enjoying the work anymore because it's such a strain on my brain and psyche.
"It's too much pressure and too much drama! There is enough pain and stress with the normal things that happen in the circle of life, I don't need to recreate that on camera."
Jones later responded to comments about her seemingly early retirement, saying: "Hey, it's not like I'm guaranteed to live to be 100, you know? It could all end next year, next month, and next week. I don't want to be all pissed on my deathbed thinking, "Why didn't I leave sooner?"
Days of Our Lives airs at 17:30 every weekday on SABC3.
Renee, who played Lexie Carver in the NBC soapie, has decided to retire and will be from the show which brought her fame as the daughter of the evil Stefano Dimera. She will make her last appearance on the soap in June.
According to the actress the decision to retire was not taken overnight.
"It's been on my mind for over a year. I am so grateful to Days for 20 years of steady employment - it's been a fantastic opportunity - but I finally had to stop and ask myself, "What really makes me happy? What really brings me joy in life?" And it's not acting. I just don't want to do this anymore," she told tvguide.com.
'About the work only'
She claimed that she could not take the pressure of being on set every day.
"For me, it's always been about the work only, and now it's at the point where I'm not even enjoying the work anymore because it's such a strain on my brain and psyche.
"It's too much pressure and too much drama! There is enough pain and stress with the normal things that happen in the circle of life, I don't need to recreate that on camera."
Jones later responded to comments about her seemingly early retirement, saying: "Hey, it's not like I'm guaranteed to live to be 100, you know? It could all end next year, next month, and next week. I don't want to be all pissed on my deathbed thinking, "Why didn't I leave sooner?"
Days of Our Lives airs at 17:30 every weekday on SABC3.