Arianne Zucker Opens Up About DAYS Departure

The soap world was shocked yesterday when news broke that Arianne Zucker was leaving Days of Our Lives.

After all, she’s been involved in quite the front burner story of late and is even embroiled in a hair-brained kidnapping scheme as Nicole absconds with Baby Holly. Material like this often leaves performers wanting more, but Zucker had made up her mind long before this story that when her contract ends, so will this DAYS run.

According to the March 13 issue of Soap Opera Digest, Zucker knew two years ago that she’d be wrapping up life as Nicole. The actress created the character in 1998, left in 2006, and then returned in 2008. During that time, she’s been married and divorced (to and from actor Kyle Lowder, ex-Brady) and became mom of a now-7-year-old girl named Isabella.

While she loves Nicole and loves DAYS, Zucker just has the classic case of wanting to try other things and isn’t against those other things not being acting at all.

She’s happy to have booked a film and told Digest her agent is pitching her for other projects but admits that she’s willing to make a living any way she can.

“I’ll probably get a ‘normal’ job, so anyone who lives out in L.A. might be ‘Aren’t you?’…[But] I have a kid. As parents you have to do what you have to do. There’s no shame in earning money.”

Zucker is still on set and wrapping up Nicole’s story until next month and is determined to make the character’s exit a memorable one.

“I’ll work my butt off. I want to go out being as strong as I can, as good as I can…I will cry my way out of there–in sadness and happiness,” she told Digest. “I’m just appreciative of my 18 years and the life that the show has given me has been incredible.”

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