Yahoo News Home and Away – Willow Harris's exit explained
Home and Away spoilers follow for UK viewers.
Home and Away's Willow Harris is waving goodbye to Summer Bay on UK screens this week.
5STAR's first look episode on Tuesday (May 11) – which is repeated on Channel 5 on Wednesday – saw Willow head off to Queensland in the hope of working things out with her ex-girlfriend Alex Neilson (Zoe Ventoura).
Here's a quick recap of what we know about Willow's exit – and what happens next.
Has Willow Harris left for good?
Willow has already taken some time out from Summer Bay on a previous occasion in recent months, which wasn't a permanent departure. However, this time she is leaving the show for good.
Sarah Roberts, who played Willow, announced her exit from Home and Away in late March after portraying the role since 2017. In an interview with Australia's Courier Mail newspaper, Sarah confirmed that she had finished filming and was already auditioning for new roles.
While this is the end of Willow's time in Summer Bay, she hasn't been killed off so the door remains open for a future return one day.
"I would love to come back," Sarah told Now To Love recently.
"You know, for now I'm really focused on moving forward and working on the more exciting projects and different characters, but I loved my time on Home and Away and I would come back in a heartbeat."
Why has Willow Harris left?
While an exact reason for Willow's departure hasn't been specified, Home and Away fans know that it's pretty standard for the show's younger cast members to stick around for three or four-year stints before moving on, ensuring a regular rotation of characters.
Sarah Roberts reached the three-year mark in the show at the time of the Witness X reveal, which led to Willow leaving the Bay for a while. Willow then returned to tie up some loose ends, including making peace with Bella Nixon and helping Dean Thompson to reconnect with his son Jai Simmons.
In an interview with TV Week last month, Sarah said that leaving Home and Away had "come at a good time".
She explained: "I can now reflect on myself within and outside of work. It'll be nice to work on myself for a bit.
"I need to step back, relax and breathe. I want to meditate, have family time, work out and enjoy life."
Sarah also praised the decision to have Willow seek a reunion with Alex in her exit storyline, telling the magazine: "It's a lovely way to leave the show. Zoe and I have made a wonderful friendship and we still catch up, which is nice."
Home and Away spoilers – what's next for Willow's friends?
While Willow has left the Bay, there's plenty of drama still to come for her closest friends.
Although Willow went to great effort to sort out Dean's personal life before she left, it's all set to fall apart in future episodes when he tells his girlfriend Amber that he's still in love with his ex, Ziggy. This ultimately leads to Amber and Jai making their own departure from Summer Bay.
Bella's next big storyline will revolve around her relationship with Nikau, which comes under threat when Nikau starts working as a model.
Jasmine, who wasn't present for Willow's exit scene as she was busy working, also has a tough time ahead as she discovers the horrible truth about her new boyfriend Lewis Hayes in dramatic scenes next week.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm and 6pm on Channel 5 (UK), with first look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
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