‘NCIS’ star Pauley Perrette leaving drama after this season

LOS ANGELES – “NCIS” star Pauley Perrette says she’s leaving the CBS crime drama after this season following 15 years on the show.

Perrette plays pigtailed forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on the CBS show. She confirmed reports of her departure on Twitter on Wednesday, writing that “there have been all kinds of false rumours as to why” she’s leaving.

She says neither CBS nor the show’s producers are “mad” at her and the decision to leave was one she made last year. The 48-year-old Perrette adds that she loves her character “as much as you do.”

“We’ve known for some time this would be Pauley’s final season on ‘NCIS’ and have been working toward a special send-off,” ”NCIS” executive producers George Schenck and Frank Cardea said in a statement. “Abby is a character that inspires millions of fans around the world, and all of us at ‘NCIS’ are appreciative of Pauley for portraying her.”