Cote de Pablo, the actress who portrays the fan favorite character Ziva on the hit show "NCIS," is leaving, according to TVLine.com. The CBS show is about to enter its 11th season on September 24.
De Pablo's contract expired at the end of season 10, and the actress will appear in the early episodes to wrap up the storyline for Ziva, before exiting the show.
"I've had eight great years with 'NCIS' and Ziva David," de Pablo said. "I have huge respect and affection for Mark [Harmon], Gary [Glasberg], Michael [Weatherly], David [McCallum], Rocky [Carroll], Pauley [Perrette], Brian [Dietzen], Sean [Murray], all of the team and CBS.
"I look forward to finishing Ziva's story," de Pablo continued.
"NCIS" is set to resume production next week, though her future on the show has been in question since the end of season 10, when her character was involved in a dangerous mission to seek vengeance, including a car crash. By the finale, Ziva and other characters had resigned from NCIS.
"We respect Cote's decision, thank her for being an important part of the 'NCIS' team, and for eight terrific years playing Ziva David," CBS said in a statement. "Cote and CBS share a great respect for the 'NCIS' audience, and we look forward to working with her and the producers on appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva's story."
What, if anything, will happen with the "Tiva" relationship, as fans of Tony and Ziva have taken to calling it, has not been addressed.
It was previously expected that de Pablo would sign on, in part due to a statement from the show runner, Gary Glasberg.
"I'm confident that things will work out, and we'll present the best finale that we can and go from there," Glasberg previously said.
Unfortunately for fans, de Pablo has decided to invoke Gibbs' Rule 11: "When the job is done, walk away."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
