Days of Our Lives Star Camila Banus Exits Long-Running Soap After 13 Years (2024)

Camila Banus has officially moved on from her 13-year role on Days of Our Lives.

Speaking exclusively with TheWrap about her exit, the Emmy-nominated actress — who played Gabi Hernandez on the Peaco*ck soap — said that she felt the show's "changes" were a sign for her to move on.

"There's definitely been a lot of changes at Days, the last couple of years, one being moving to Peaco*ck," Banus, 32, said of the long-running daytime staple, which previously aired on NBC from 1965 to 2022.

"Although it's been wonderful and we've had a super great reception, for me, I felt like that was kind of like the initial start for changes happening in general," she continued in the interview published Monday. "And I kind of just saw that as a sign for me to start the next chapter in my life."

Friday was her last day on set, but Banus shared that her character's actual last airdate will be months ahead.

"I was, honestly, open to renegotiating a certain type of shooting schedule where I would have a little bit more time off. But they didn't go for it," Banus shared. "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 with a new contract."

Added Banus, "But then, you know, I talked to producers and they had a call with me and they were like, 'Well, what can we do?' And I honestly, '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.'"

The shift away from Days may also bring changes to her personal life as well, as the Miami Beach-born TV star is hoping to have children in the near future with her husband of two years, Marlon Aquino.

"My husband and I are trying to start a family, hopefully," she said. "And that's another big factor in possibly just slowing down for a little bit and seeing kind of where this time takes me. But I'm also open to other opportunities and ready for big things. I'm just ready for something different."

PEOPLE covered the pair's wedding exclusively in August 2021. The longtime partners married at The Castle House Estate in Joshua Tree, California.

"We picked this venue because it was so different and unique," Banus told PEOPLE at the time. "It felt like an oasis in the middle of the desert. The minute we saw it, we knew it was for us."

Banus and Aquino couldn't wait "to commemorate a decade of being together with a romantic and unforgettable evening in Joshua Tree," added the Cuban-and-Spanish-American actress, who officially announced her engagement to the actor and businessman in December 2020 during an Instagram Live.

Now that they're settled in Los Angeles, she's hoping her career pivot will bring some film roles to the plate. "My biggest desire is to work on films. I'm a huge film buff, and I would love to work on big budget films wherever, whenever that is," she shared. "I don't know, but I'm just excited for cultivating new characters and possibly working on something comedic. I do think that I need to stretch that out because I think there's a lot of potential there for me."

But she's not forgetting her loyal soap fans that followed her on-screen adventures in Salem for over a decade.

Stating in Monday's interview that she's been very "blessed" and "lucky" to represent Latinas and Latinos on DOOL, Banus also opened up about her emotional last day of work. Though she said she drove home crying her "eyes out," Banus also felt refreshed.

"It's just a really renewing and refreshing time for me. And, I think a lot of great things are to come."

Concluding the interview she said, "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."

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Days of Our Lives premieres new episodes weekdays on Peaco*ck.