Home and Away star Courtney Miller explains why she left Bella Nixon role

 "It was the biggest challenge for me."

Home and Away star Courtney Miller has opened up about why she left her role as Bella Nixon on the soap.

In an interview with Stuff, she said: "It was my decision to go. I had definitely served out my acting contract. In fact, I actually stayed for another three months. I happily left – but with many, many tears."

On her decision to move to Melbourne to study acting, she said: "People thought I was crazy.

"It was the biggest challenge for me and it was an ego reset. I wanted to do the acting class to prove to myself that I was there for the long haul and not for the quick fame," she said.

"When I first got there, I freaked out a little because I thought I wasn’t meant to be there or I’d made the wrong choice but, by week two, I knew that I had made the best decision. It was the most grounding life experience ever. It was incredible," she added

However, as luck would have it, her first gig out of acting school was back at Home and Away, where she returned briefly to take part in Nikau’s exit storyline, which saw Nikau and Bella get their happy ending.

Those scenes will air in the UK on Channel 5 in April.

"I truly thought that when I left, I was saying goodbye. My return was weird because my storyline was still going on without me. She was talked about. She did still exist in that world, even though I, Courtney, didn’t," she said.

"I was very lucky to be called back. It worked out well because there was still a storyline there that needed to be completed. It was the best experience ever."

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6.30pm on 5STAR and the show also streams on My5.