Monica Raymund not returning for Chicago Fire season 7

Monica Raymund has left Chicago Fire, as the actress confirmed Tuesday she won’t be returning as Gabriela Dawson in Chicago Fire season 7.

Monica Raymund has decided not to return to Chicago Fire, with the actress revealing her departure in a Twitter note on Tuesday morning.

“I have made the decision that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in life,” she told fans in the tweet.

That means Chicago Fire will be without its female lead next season. The season 6 finale involved a cliffhanger in which Raymund’s character Gabriela Dawson was prepared to go to Puerto Rico.

But even if she does, the show will have to address the fact that she’s still married to Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) and fill Dawson’s spot on Ambulance 61. There are a lot of things to work out now that Raymund is leaving after six seasons and more than 120 episodes.

The actress was the show’s female lead from the start, between her romance with Casey and how she manuevered from paramedic to firefighter and back to paramedic again. It leaves a big hole on the Firehouse 51 team going into Chicago Fire season 7, but after that long it’s also perfectly reasonable that Monica Raymund would want to pursue other opportunities.

She becomes the second One Chicago female lead to exit the franchise in two seasons; Sophia Bush of Chicago PD left after last season.

With Raymund’s status cleared up, the only Fire cast member still in limbo is David Eigenberg.

Check out Raymund’s full tweet below and then tell us what you think of the idea of Chicago Fire without Gabriela Dawson in the comments:

Next: Eamonn Walker staying on Chicago Fire

Are you surprised that Monica Raymund isn’t coming back to Chicago Fire? Will you be watching without Gabriela Dawson? Let us know in the comments.

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.