Camila Banus Announces She’s Exiting Days of our Lives

Camila Banus, who has played Gabi Hernandez since 2010, is leaving Days of our Lives. The actress is speaking out about why she’s taking off and what she wants fans to know.

Camila Banus Bids Goodbye To Gabi

The Wrap broke the news of Banus’s exit with an exclusive interview. She shot her final episode on April 28 but given the show’s lengthy lead time to air, we’re likely going to see Gabi on our screens for many more months. A myriad of factors went into the actress’s decision to leave the show — including DAYS’ move to Peacock last September. “I kind of just saw that as a sign for me to start the next chapter in my life,” said Banus.

The actress says she and her husband, Marlon Aquino, are planning on starting a family, but she’s not giving up acting by any means. “I’m also open to other opportunities and ready for big things,” she says. “I’m just ready for something different.

Lucky 13

“You know, you book something, and you never know what’s up ahead or what may be the future for that project,” Banus says of having played Gabi for so long. “So I’ve been very blessed and very lucky to have been representing Latinas and Latinos as Gabi. And I’m just ready to see how I can represent further along in my career, you know, see what the next chapter of representing will be.”

Banus reveals that she and DAYS talked about her possibly taking on a schedule that would allow her a little more time off. “But they didn’t go for it,” she reveals. “And certain other factors that were involved that they didn’t go for. At first, it was just easy to say, ‘Well, if you can’t meet these demands, then I can’t,’ and move on…But then, you know, I talked to producers…and they were like, ‘Well, what can we do?’ And I honestly [said], ‘I need to slow down. And part of that is, you know, you guys accepting this shooting schedule for me, and you won’t. So, you know, I have to respectfully bow out and say thank you, and that’s all I can do.'”

Camila Banus Looks To The Future

Banus isn’t sure what’s next for her career, but she’d like to work in the movie genre, and after over a decade of bringing the heavy drama to the screen, she’s like to have a chuckle or two. “I’m a huge film buff, and I would love to work on big-budget films wherever, whenever that is,” she says. “I’m just excited for cultivating new characters and possibly working on something comedic. The most wonderful thing about acting is playing pretend every day. I love to do that, and I can’t wait to do that with a bunch of other people and make magic again.”

Last September, Banus chatted with Soap Hub and was optimistic about DAYS moving to Peacock. However, things have changed, and now, she’s wrapped up her run in Salem. The actress wants to send a big thank you to her fans and the folks who have “ridden that ride, been there through all the highs, been there through all the lows when my girl has not been someone you want to support,” she says. “But there’s still been support. I wanna say a deep, deep thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that’s loved Gabi the way that I have.”