Lorna Laidlaw will return to ‘Doctors’ to direct.
The 56-year-old actress will depart the BBC daytime drama in her role as receptionist Mrs Tembe next week, but she will not be away from The Mill for long as she plans to step behind the camera, and she hopes to helm episodes on a "regular" basis.
She said: "I’m going back to ‘Doctors’ to direct, and I’m going to be in the building when my last episode as Mrs Tembe airs, on 13th February. That, in itself, is going to be really emotional.
"I’m really glad, because I don’t want to lose contact with my people. I’ve spent more time with them in the last eight years than I have with my own family, so it’s a massive wrench to leave them. I know so many of them personally.
"Hopefully, I’ll get to direct regularly, and they’re going to keep dragging me back. But it’s also about what other work you get, and whether you can fit it all in."
Lorna admits it took "every bit of strength" she had not to break down in tears during her final ‘Doctors’ scene, but she didn’t have such control when filming had finished, admitting she cried for half an hour afterwards.
She added to What’s On TV magazine: "In the very last scene, Mrs Tembe gives advice to everybody, and it took every bit of strength I had not to burst out crying.
"I really didn’t want to cry because it’s a positive thing that she was going to, and it wasn’t sadness for her but excitement. But when they said ‘cut’ I just blubbed for about half an hour."
While Mrs Tembe will swap Birmingham for Newcastle with her fiance, Rev Gordon Clement, the actress previously admitted she would love Denzel Washington to play her love interest.
Quizzed on who she would like her receptionist alter-ego to hook up with in 2015, she replied: "No question, Denzel Washington!
"You never know, he might be looking through the internet and see me and think ‘That lady is hot!’.
"I think it would be awesome, he would love it. You never know, me and Denzel."
Lorna Laidlaw returning to Doctors
