Michelle Keegan to depart Our Girl at the end of upcoming series 4

The former Coronation Street actress has been playing the role of British Army medic Georgie Lane since the second series of the BBC One drama aired back in 2016.

The Sun reports that her decision to depart the show comes as she looks to pursue new acting jobs, while she also reportedly wishes to spend more time in the UK with her family.

Her time working on Our Girl has seen her travel to numerous foreign destinations for filming, including Nepal, Malaysia and South Africa.

Keegan described her four years working on the show as being “incredible” and thanked the BBC for giving her “such an amazing opportunity.”

She added, “Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. I’ve loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return.

“I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but I’m so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so it’s not the end just yet.”

In addition to playing Georgie Lane, Keegan had a lead role in the first series of Sky One comedy Brassic last year and is confirmed to be returning for a second run.

It is believed that Our Girl producers have begun the hunt for a new female lead for future series of the show.

Our Girl is expected to begin shooting for its fourth season in April of this year, with an air date likely to be announced for later in 2020.