Dan Stevens Leaving 'Downton Abbey'

Sad news for "Downton Abbey" fans.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Dan Stevens is not returning for the fourth season of the ITV series, which airs on PBS in the U.S. A production source tells the Sunday Express that the 30-year-old actor is leaving the show.

"Dan Stevens isn't returning to the series," the insider reveals. "He will probably do the first episode of the fourth series, but that will be it."

Stevens will be in season 3, which premieres in the U.S. on Jan. 16. on Masterpiece. According to the Daily Mail, he will also appear in the series' two-hour Christmas special and the first episode of season 4, which has been confirmed.

It is not yet clear how Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley, will leave the show or if it will affect his on-screen love interest, Michelle Dockery.

Stevens is currently appearing on Broadway in "The Heiress" alongside Jessica Chastain and recently said he might stick around the Big Apple.

"New York for me is going to be one big adventure," he explained. "I will be taking the whole family out and we will be there for six months. I don't know if I will be returning to 'Downton.'"

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