Summary:
""Days of Our Lives"" star Alison Sweeney is leaving the soap opera after 21 years.

Full article:
(EW.com) -- Alison Sweeney — who has spent 21 years in NBC daytime playing the popular character Sami Brady — will leave "Days of Our Lives." Sweeney announced her decision on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Tuesday. The 5 best critic vs. celeb fights at TCA . "I'm celebrating my 21st year ... and I decided that it's going to be my last year with the show," she says. "I have worked so much, and my daughter just turned 5 and my son is 9, and I just want to be with them." The actress is expected to leave the sudser at the end of the season. Sweeney first joined the soap in 1993 and went on to win a special fan award from the Daytime Emmys in 2002. She also moonlights as host on "The Biggest Loser" and has authored books like "All the Days of My Life (So Far)" and "The Star Attraction." See the original story on EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.