Amanda Mealing is taking a break from Casualty

In a Twitter video post, Amanda shuts the door to her dressing room at the Casualty studio while a caption says: "The last out turns the lights off. @BBCCasualty it's been emotional."

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A BBC spokesperson has confirmed the news.

"As is common with long-running cast members, Amanda is taking a well-deserved break from filming with Casualty and will return in the autumn," read a statement from the broadcaster.

Amanda's character Connie could certainly do with a break from the stress and trauma of the Emergency Department at Holby City Hospital.

In the episode of Casualty shown on Saturday 13th April, Connie finally came face-to-face with the mystery attacker who left her battered, bruised and suffering from PTSD back in February.

The culprit was unmasked as Bill Danes (played by David Sterne), a grieving widower who blamed Connie for his wife Naomi's (ex-EastEnders star Anita Dobson) death in 2017.

"It’s been a really important story to highlight because there are physical attacks, there are emotional attacks, there are verbal, and cyber attacks now," Amanda told What's On TV. "We’re just highlighting the fact that the event may happen once but it can stay with you much longer. We have to start looking for care for people after these things, not just immediately after the event."

Casualty continues on Saturday 20 April at 8:20pm on BBC1