Is Leonie Elliott leaving ‘Call the Midwife’? The actor behind Lucille seems to exit the series in Season 12, but why did she leave?
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Call the Midwife Season 12.
We rarely get to find out a character’s fate before we watch what happens. Still, because Call the Midwife has already finished airing in the U.K., we actually have some answers about Lucille’s fate. Nurse Lucille Robinson (née Anderson), portrayed by Leonie Elliott, makes a devastating decision in Season 12 that will have repercussions for the rest of the series.
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Leonie has been with Call the Midwife since Season 7, and her love story with Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte) makes it seem like Lucille could never leave. However, she proves us wrong in Season 12 and after Episode 2, Lucille’s fate is up in the air. So, is Leonie Elliott leaving Call the Midwife and if so, why?
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Lucille is leaving ‘Call the Midwife’ in Season 12.
While it may not be official in the episodes PBS has aired so far, Lucille isn't coming back to Poplar any time soon. She leaves in Episode 2 of the current season to visit her family in Jamaica after a pretty difficult run. For those who don’t remember, Lucille and Cyril face devastating news throughout Season 11 between anti-immigrant rhetoric and their own fertility challenges.
After Lucille’s miscarriage and the ensuing challenges, she starts having suicidal thoughts, so Cyril encourages Lucille to go home for some much-needed TLC. She leaves Poplar in Episode 2, and at that point, we all expect that she’ll return.
However, in Episode 5 (which hasn’t yet aired in the USA), Cyril learns that Lucille has actually taken on some work in Jamaica. She agrees to take on a Sister’s position at the maternity ward with a six-month contract, so she won’t be back any time soon.
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Once the Season 12 finale aired in the U.K., Leonie confirmed that she did, in fact, leave Call the Midwife for good. She shared a statement on Twitter: “Thank you all for embracing Lucille and rocking with me on this journey, it is with a heart full of love and appreciation that I embark on pastures new… Having spent six years on a truly wonderful show, with a fantastic team, I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with Lucille." Her caption, “Over and out, precious!” confirms her exit.
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Why did Leonie Elliott leave ‘Call the Midwife’?
It seems that Leonie decided to leave Call the Midwife of her own volition to work on other projects. At the time of her exit, Leonie was performing in a West End stage production of Small Island, so it’s possible that her role in that could have led to her ultimate exit from the series. But if that were her only project, Lucille would probably be returning.
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It seems like Leonie has plenty of new projects on her plate. She concluded her exit statement by saying, “Super excited for what's coming next!" While there’s nothing on Leonie’s IMDb or Instagram that hints at any future projects, we wouldn’t be too surprised if something pops up in the next year or so.
Could Leonie ever come back to ‘Call the Midwife’ as Lucille?
Lucille doesn’t die in Call the Midwife, she simply goes back to Jamaica and leaves her husband behind in Poplar. So there’s always the possibility that she could return. But will it actually happen is the question? Luckily, we have some answers. Leonie is totally open to returning to Call the Midwife as a guest star, although she hasn’t hinted that she’d be back in any major capacity for future seasons.
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Lucille’s exit is the first time I think Call the Midwife have really stuffed up - so out of character for both her and Cyril. Please tidy up this shoddy storyline in the Christmas special, it’s unbelievable and nonsensical right now #callthemidwife coming from a big fan!
— Abs (@abracadabra1205) March 4, 2023When asked by RadioTimes.com if she’ll return as a guest star in a later season, Leonie laughed, “You'd have to ask the producers, ha! It would be lovely to pop up and see what's happening with Lucille in Jamaica." The fact she’s open to it means we may at least get some closure between Lucille and Cyril, so we’re crossing our fingers.
So don’t expect to see Lucille any time soon. Episode 2 was sadly her final episode on Call the Midwife… at least in Season 12.
New episodes of Call the Midwife air every Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on PBS.
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