Sharon Johal is leaving 'Neighbours' after four years.
Sharon Johal
The 32-year-old actress - who has played Dipi Rebecchi since 2017 - admitted there are "a number of reasons" behind her decision to walk away, but her "ambition for growth" was the deciding factor.
She wrote on Instagram: "It is with sadness I’ve announced today that I will be leaving @neighbours.
"Some of you may have seen this coming but to be honest I put the motions into play over a year ago.
"A number of reasons brought me to here, however inevitably my ambition for growth has ultimately been the decider."
Sharon noted her excitement at "what the future holds" after learning the craft of directing behind the scenes on the Australian soap, but she also explained how draining filming on Ramsay Street can be.
She added: "As one of the fastest running shows in the world, it is ALL-encompassing. Life is literally 'on-hold' never knowing what your day looks like, long-term exhaustion from being up at 4am most days for years, depletion from exercising extreme vulnerability in and out of emotional states rapidly (where it’s not always processed appropriately), dealing with highly challenging people intimately long-term without reprieve, public scrutiny being trolled/bullied relentlessly online/offline etc.
"Rain, hail, shine or pandemic, THIS show goes on and combined with your 'real life' family, health and emotional stuff, it’s a lot. (sic)"
She also pointed to 2020 and noted how rough it was for her "personally", which she promised to elaborate on in the future.
Now, she's looking to the future with all the lessons she's learned on set, and she thanked everyone who has helped her along the way.
She continued: "I value all that I’ve learned. I want to take this opportunity to thank my friends, the crew, writers, make-up, costume, art and pre/post production departments on the show, on screen and off.
"The producers for choosing me as an actor and supporting this next stage of my career-it’s never really GOODBYE is it?"