Rachel Melvin quits 'Days Of Our Lives'

Days Of Our Lives star Rachel Melvin has announced that she is quitting the soap after four years.

The 24-year-old actress, who has played Chelsea Brady since 2005, expressed her desire to try projects outside of daytime.

"It was never my intention to be on a soap opera for as long as I was," She told Soap Opera Digest. "When you think of soaps, you think 'Oh, beautiful people', and I never categorised myself that way, and I guess I just kind of discounted the possibility of working on one."

Melvin’s exit is the latest in a string of recent departures from the soap. In November, series stalwarts Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn were fired, while Mary Beth Evans, Stephen Nichols and Thaao Penghlis were also axed last month.

A final airdate for Melvin has not yet been announced.