Alison Sweeney Says Goodbye to ‘Days of Our Lives’

Alison Sweeney wrapped a 21-year career of playing Sami Brady on NBC’s daytime soap Days of Our Lives on Thursday with heartfelt messages on social media for her fans.

After her last episode aired, Sweeney posted an open letter on Facebook addressed to “#Days fans” that emphasized she was as much of a fan of the show as she was a player.

“When I first found out I was auditioning for Days (in September of 1992), I flipped out!! It was quite literally a dream come true for me because I’d been a mildly obsessed Days of our Lives fan for several years,” the letter said.

Read more: Alison Sweeney Exiting NBC’s ‘Days of Our Lives’

“I took that fan experience into every storyline I was involved with over the last two decades. I always felt the audience watching at home. It has always mattered to me to tell the story as best as I possibly could. Whether it was #Ejami, #Lumi, #Safe, #Kami or … #Sole, or somewhere in between, whether I personally liked the story or not, I did my best to keep Sami true to herself, and played every scene as honestly as I could. I look back through all of it, and am proud of what I accomplished. Proud of the memories, the hard work and the fun times. I’m proud of who I’ve become as a result of my 21 years in Salem.

“No question – I am #teamSami. I have always rooted for her … to finally stop putting her foot in her mouth, being her own worst enemy, eternally needing her parents approval, oh, this list could go on and on. It’s impossible to miss Sami’s faults. But I loved her more for them. And I loved playing her faults and her character flaws as much I loved playing the scenes when she persevered!”

Since filming her final scene in May, People reported Sweeney has announced plans to direct episodes of ABC soap General Hospital while continuing to hosting The Biggest Loser.

In her Facebook post, Sweeney included a photo gallery of images from both sides of the camera, titled “#DaysofSami.” Read Sweeney’s entire Facebook post, below.

Watch Sweeney recount her favorite Days of Our Lives storylines in a farewell video created by a fan, below.