Tanya Reynolds confirms Sex Education exit and reveals reason for shock departure

Tanya Reynolds is "very sad" to be leaving 'Sex Education'.

The 30-year-old actress - who stars in upcoming Channel 4 comedy 'I Hate You' - won't be returning for the fourth season of the Netflix comedy drama having played alien-loving student Lily Iglehart for the first three series.

She told RadioTimes.com: "I'm not [returning], actually, which is sad, very sad.

"It's just the natural progression of these shows – when you have such big ensemble casts and so many characters, I think you have to let a few older characters go to make way for newer ones, which is absolutely the right thing, the way it should happen."

Tanya - whose character delighted fans with her bold outfits and X-rated obsession with extra terrestrials - insisted she was leaving the show after the "perfect amount" of time.

She added: "I loved every minute of it and I loved Lily with my whole entire heart. Three seasons was just a really perfect amount for me."

Her exit comes as cast mate Patricia Allison - who plays Ola Nyman, with whom Lily sparked an on-screen romance in season three - is also leaving the coming of age show.

She recently said: "I absolutely have loved being on 'Sex Education' so so much, and playing Ola but unfortunately, I won’t be joining the team for season four."

She explained that the decision was made so she could focus on "some other little things" after being committed to the show for so long.

She revealed: "Some other opportunities have come up. So, I’ve been doing it for three years and I’ve like genuinely loved it."

'Sex Education' - which stars Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield as mother/son duo Otis and Jean Milburn - is currently filming its fourth season, although Netflix is yet to confirm a release date.