Lucy Gaskell reveals the reasons behind Kirsty's final walk on the Casualty wards... How has Kirsty been coping with life following her abusive husband's death? "Since Warren's death Kirsty's been trying to carry on with life as normal and has hardly acknowledged what happened to her in the past. She thinks because Warren's dead her problems have gone away, but she's kidding herself." A heated row with Adam led to Kirsty's friends and colleagues discovering the truth about her terrible ordeal. How has she been coping with her private business being out in the open? "Kirsty's mortified when her secret comes out, but Tess comforts her and makes her realise she's still a victim of Warren's abuse and it can take years to get over something like this. It's a real lightbulb moment for Kirsty, as she realises she needs to slow down and deal with what's happened." This week she decides to leave; what's the turning point for her that leads to this decision? "Kirsty's still putting on a brave front at work and pretending everything's OK when she meets a terminally ill patient with a very positive outlook on life. Kirsty's inspired to make some positive changes for her and her daughter, Nita. She spontaneously decides to leave this place full of bad memories, get away and start afresh. It's really liberating!" Does she work a period of notice? "There's no notice at all - she just walks away midway through her shift! Adam asks her where she's going and she replies 'I don’t know' with a laugh. It's the most liberating moment of her adult life. It was a lovely moment to play." Will this be the last we see of Kirsty? "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions for Kirsty so it's great she's ending on a positive note after all the misery. I'd never say never to returning - the door is open. I'm leaving the series to have my first child so although I'm really sad to be leaving Casualty I'm really excited that my life's about to change so much!"
