Ruth Wilson is not returning for another season of The Affair — but says it was not her decision to leave the series.
The actress, 36, appeared on CBS This Morning on Thursday while promoting her upcoming film The Little Stranger and spoke about her shocking departure from the show in which her character, Alison Lockhart, was killed off.
“I’m not coming back, so she’s dead,” Wilson said, ending any speculation she could return for flashbacks in later seasons.
When asked by co-host Gayle King if it was true that Wilson wanted to leave the show, the actress said yes, while also adding further speculation as to the reason.
“I did want to leave but I’m not allowed to talk about why,” Wilson said. A rep for the actress did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The actress did not go into further detail but did address rumors her departure was brought on by a disagreement over her show earnings.
“I’ve never complained to Showtime about pay parity,” she explained.
The show’s creator, Sarah Treem, told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, “Ruth wanted to leave the show.”
“That was a request, so that was decided basically before we started writing,” Treem said. “It wasn’t a discovery of any kind. That was very deliberate. And actually, we shot all of her work first. Her whole storyline was shot before we shot anything else.”
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Showtime responded to Wilson’s comments saying, “We can’t speak for Ruth, but heading into season 4 everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course.”
“Ultimately, it felt like the most powerful creative decision would be to end Alison’s arc at the moment when she had finally achieved self-empowerment,” the statement continued. “The impact of her loss will be felt as the series concludes next season.”
“We thank the many fans who embraced the character of Alison and especially thank Ruth for her indelible work over the past four seasons.”
Wilson told King she was amazed by the fan response to her character, who begins an affair with a married man after losing her child and distancing herself from her own husband.
“It’s been very moving for me,” she said. “And to see that a character like this can connect to people… for me it was amazing.”
The season 4 finale of The Affair airs Sunday on Showtime.
