Vera cancelled as Brenda Blethyn quits ITV show after 14 years

ITV's cherished crime drama, Vera, comes to a stunning end after 14 years as Brenda Blethyn departs from the show with an heartfelt farewell. The star announced her exit in a touching statement.

"Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I'm sad to be saying Cheerio. But I am so proud of our achievements over the last fourteen years. I'll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role."

"The Producers, dream cast and crew have been fabulous and I'm going to miss them, but I won't forget their huge talent, the camaraderie, laughter or kindness we shared nor the friendship of the people of the north east and our fans worldwide. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," she said.

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Blethyn, known for her Academy and Emmy nominated performances, will relinquish DCI Vera Stanhope's iconic trench coat and hat following the completion of the upcoming series set to film this summer featuring two feature length episodes of two hours each. This adds to the 54 already existing engrossing episodes of the ITV show.