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Kelly Thieaud played the role of Britt Westbourne on ABC's longest-running soap opera, General Hospital. The character first appeared on the show on September 19, 2012, and was played by Kelly until Britt died in 2023. Her last episode aired on January 4, 2023.
The reason behind Kelly Thiebaud leaving the General Hospital is a mix of both her personal and professional priorities. In a Soap Opera Digest interview, Kelly finally decided to leave the show in 2022 and asked the makers to write the plotline in which Britt died because of the venom of the serial killer The Hook.
Kelly Thiebaud announced her departure from the show in August 2022 as she wanted to explore new professional opportunities and prioritize her romantic relationship, so she left the show in January 2023. She continues to play her role in Station 19 and currently lives in London and the United States.
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Kelly Thiebaud had to leave General Hospital
After Kelly announced leaving the show, the fans started speculating about the reason. Among all the speculated reasons, her return to Station 19 was the most outburst.
In a Soap Opera Digest interview, Kelly clarified that these speculations are completely false.
"I just felt like I had to leave and go and pursue those other dreams and goals of mine," said Kelly.
She also mentioned that she was leaving because she was in a long-distance relationship until then and wanted to give the same priority to her love life. Another reason she explained was her wish to explore more characters and places, which could not have been done alongside General Hospital shootings.
"I really want to do films and theater and all sorts of other things," she said.
How did Kelly Thiebaud's exit affect Britt?
Britt Westbourne, known to be an evil woman, later became a good person after losing her son Dante. The character recurred in 2020 and has gone through emotional turmoil, ultimately leading her to leave Port Charles.
Though this exit could have been enough to give a break to Britt's character, Kelly and the makers decided to show her dead as they wanted to say a final goodbye to Britt on General Hospital.
Britt died while trying to save Jossyln from the serial Killer The Hook. The serial killer scratched Britt, and because of this, her body was poisoned, and she ultimately died. Britt's exit left her mother, Liesl devastated by the emptiness of losing both of her children.
Kelly Thiebaud wanted to return to General Hospital
In a recent post on Instagram on July 9, 2024, which was about the ending of one of her current characters, Kelly Thiebaud, received a comment about returning to the GH, to which she replied and showed her willingness to return to the soap opera.
The comment on Instagram by a user @tperky63 stated that:
“I thought you were coming back to GH,” the user said.
The user got this misconception that if she leaves the other show, she might rejoin GH. Kelly replied to the fans' comment and said, "I tried," which was enough for the fans to understand her will to return as Britt.
Back in 2023, during a Coastal Entertainment Gathering, Kelly addressed her possibility of returning to Port Charles, which needs to be done "in a special way."
“I don’t know if I would want to do that,” she said.
General Hospital has seen many characters rejoining the show even after they were shown dead, as such instances are common in the soap opera world. Though there are no hints of Britt returning to the show, nothing is impossible in the soap universe.
Who is Kelly Thiebaud?
Kelly Thiebaud was born on August 28, 1982, and pursued her career in acting with a debut in the 2002 film Journey of Redemption. Beyond her acting career, Kelly has also done modeling and has appeared in several music videos.
Some of her most prominent roles include Rebecca in Criminal Minds (2012), Carey in Love at First Glance (2017), and Eva Vasquez in Station 19, which has been running since 2020 till the present.
Kelly Thiebaud has won the Best Acting Award in Cinema World Fest Awards for her role as Mary Beth Sweeney in Every 21 Seconds and the Best Ensemble Cast award at the Festigious International Film Festival for the same role. She has also won the award of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Daytime Emmy Award 2022 for her role as Britt in General Hospital.
Fans can watch the new episodes of the General Hospital on weekdays on ABC.
