Why did Lynda Boyd leave Virgin River as Lilly?

Virgin River season three followed a number of different storylines, from Jack Sheridan’s (Martin Henderson) shooting to Doc (Tim Matheson) and Hope’s (Annette O’Toole) relationship.
One twist fans were not expecting was when Hope’s best friend Lilly was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

She confided in Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) as she wanted her to be an emergency contact.

She eventually told Doc, who made sure he visited her regularly, and her tragic death came towards the end of the series.
Doc and Lilly’s daughter Tara (Stacey Farber) were preparing dinner when Tara went to wake her mother.
Sadly, Lilly had died in her sleep and her funeral was featured in the next episode.

Fans are keen to know why actress Boyd left the series, and it seems her character’s death was a directorial decision.

She opened up about how she found out her character was going to leave, telling Radio Times: “I had a call from the producers.

“A conference call and they were like ‘we’re so excited for your storyline for season three – you’re going to get cancer and die’.”

The actress lost two of her siblings to cancer and she was reluctant to let previous trauma resurface.
However, she said it “ended up being really good writing” for Lilly, although she would miss her co-stars.

She had known Connie (Nicola Cavendish), Jo Ellen (Gwynyth Walsh) and Muriel (Teryl Rothery) for a long time.

The group are friends in real life and the star said it was very hard to say goodbye to them on set.

Although Boyd, 60, may not have made the decision to leave, it seems she left on good terms with the producers.

The creators of the series may have simply wanted to take the story in a new direction, away from Jack and Mel’s relationship.
They also needed a way to make sure Tara, who had come to look after baby Chloe, could remain part of the show.

The Canadian-born actress, who lives in LA, celebrated the success of the series as it has taken the number one spot on Netflix in some countries.

She said on Twitter: “Happy to report that @virginriver is the #1 show in a whole ton of countries! I have been so fortunate to play Lilly on all 3 seasons. Time to celebrate!”

Fans responded, saying they were heartbroken to see her character leave the series.

One said: “Just got through watching Virgin River season 3. You will be greatly missed. Loved your character.”