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Casting

Eileen Davidson Explains Her Decision to Leave THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS

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Genoa City is about to lose another of its biggest stars as Eileen Davidson is leaving THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS where she has played Ashley Abbott on and off since 1982. According to Daytime Confidential, who broke the news, the actress wants to spend more time with her family. Davidson is married to Vincent Van Patten, and they have a son together, 15-year-old Jesse. “Yes, I am leaving my second home, Y&R, in September,” Davidson confirmed on Twitter. “I’ve been so blessed to be able to play Ashley Abbott and work with the amazing people on the show and have nothing but gratitude and love for all! Time for a little more control over my day to day!”

Davidson’s daytime career began on Y&R in 1982, and after she left in 1988, she appeared in several films including the horror classic The House on Sorority Row, and in the primetime series BROKEN BADGES. She returned to soaps as a recast of Kelly Capwell on NBC’s SANTA BARBARA in 1991 and remained until its cancellation in 1993. Then she joined the cast of DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Kristen DiMera, and during her run on that show, also played the roles of Susan Banks, Sister Mary Moira, Thomas, and Penelope. She returned to Y&R in 1999, then departed again in 2007, moving the character of Ashley over to sister soap THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL for a year before returning to Y&R. The soap-hopper went back to DAYS for another stint in 2012 and then jumped back to Y&R in 2014, though she still made a brief appearance on DAYS in late 2017. In addition to all of that, Davidson also appeared on Bravo’s THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS from 2014-2018. So it sounds like she actually could use a little time off!

The Young and The Restless Dina Jack Ashley Abby

The Abbott family has lost one of its core members. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)

After some massive upheaval in the Abbott family, Ashley left town to move to Paris and start her own company to compete with Jabot. So there’s every chance that she could still return to Genoa City in the future. Stay tuned to see if Ashley ever comes home, and for more Y&R casting news, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine!

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Eileen Davidson Gets Emotional Looking at Classic Clips From Her Time on Y&R

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