This topic contains major spoilers, please do not click if you do not wish to read.

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Less than an hour after the shock announcement of Kate's departure from the show, Script Producer Bevan Lee has kindly given us a statement on behalf of Channel Seven, exclusive to BTTB:

After twenty years playing one of the iconic characters of Australian television drama, Kate has decided to move on to new challenges. It is of course a sad day for both the makers and the fans of the show, but her departure will be handled with the sensitivity and respect it deserves. One of the reasons I came back to the show, that I could not talk about until now that the official statement of Kate's departure has been made, was to make sure that the story of Sally's departure is one befitting Kate's twenty years on the show and one that really delivers for the fans. It is a ten week arc story that starts with the last scene to air in Australia in 2007 and ends ten weeks in to the 2008 season. Kate will leave the show on an uplifting and positive note and the door will be kept open for her return should she ever choose to do so. There will be many dramatic and tension-filled twists and turns, and many tears of both joy and sorrow, along the way to her departure. Kate is a truly wonderful young woman and everyone at Seven wishes her well in both her personal life and her new career goals.