Home and Away star responds to tragic death storyline

 Who left Summer Bay?...

Home and Away star Jacqui Purvis has spoken about her exit from the soap as Felicity Newman.

The star, who joined the soap in 2021, made her departure tonight (August 12) as Felicity collapsed at Cash and Eden’s engagement party after her vision went blurry, with promos confirming that the character will sadly pass away.

In an interview with Yahoo Australia, Purvis outlined her reasons for departing the soap, sharing that the three-year stint in the role was the perfect length of time before preparing to advance her career.

“I’ve had an incredible time on the show,” she began. “Some of the best years of my life. However, I knew I wanted an international career, so I had to make the decision to leave and take the plunge.”

Felicity’s death was teased last week, with her, Cash and Irene Roberts all being placed in dangerous situations in order to preserve the suspense.

Purvis isn’t the only cast member to leave the soap in recent weeks, with Joshua Orpin calling an end to his time as Rory Templeton. The star, who joined the soap in June, shared a statement on Instagram in which he assessed his short stint.

“Tonight we say goodbye to Rory as he departs Summer Bay for greener pastures... And by greener pastures, I mean the oppressive concrete pastures of a tiny prison cell,” he began. “I'd be lying if I said he doesn't entirely deserve it!

Nonetheless, I hope you've enjoyed having him around these past few weeks. It was my utter privilege to join the enormously talented and hard working @homeandaway team earlier this year to help bring this character to life.

“What an honour to make my own small contribution to the storied legacy of this iconic Australian TV series! Don't know if we'll ever see Rory again, but I'm sure the River Boys will make their return to the bay sooner or later…”

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5, with repeat screenings at 6pm on 5STAR and first look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.