Death in Paradise actress Ginny Holder has spoken out for the first time following confirmation of her departure from the BBC series. Ginny, who portrayed Darlene Curtis for seven years, turned to Instagram to honour her colleagues and express gratitude to viewers for their unwavering support.
Accompanying a compilation of scenes from the programme, Ginny wrote: 'Thank you so much to the BBC and Red Planet Pictures for giving me the absolute gift of playing Darlene. I loved her deeply, and saying goodbye to her has been far more emotional than I ever expected - I really do miss her.' She also thanked the cast and crew, as well as writer James Hall, and fans for their support.
Devastated supporters flooded the comments section with messages of encouragement, with one fan posting: 'Can't believe you won't be returning. You have truly been awesome, Ginny! No one cheered louder when Selwyn asked Darlene to join the Saint Marie.' Another fan wrote: 'I'm really going to miss you on Death in Paradise. I loved Darlene.'
While Ginny has bid farewell to the series, viewers can anticipate the arrival of new character, police Sergeant Mattie Fletcher, portrayed by actress Catherine Garton. Don Gilet will also be making a comeback as Detective Mervin Wilson, alongside Shantol Jackson as DS Naomi Thomas. Don Warrington is set to return as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, with Elizabeth Bourgine reprising her role as Catherine Bordey, and Shaquille Ali-Yebuah continuing as Officer Sebastian Rose.
The series will also welcome a host of big names for guest appearances, including Sarah Hadland, Siobhan Finneran, Hermione Norris, Steffan Rhodri, Ben Willbond, Gary Wilmot, and Tim McMullan. Death in Paradise is set to return on 30 January on BBC One.
