Emily Bett Rickards is leaving ‘Arrow’ at the end of Season 7

Team Arrow is losing one of its original members before its eighth and final season this fall.

Arrow star Emily Bett Rickards announced Saturday that she will be leaving the superhero show at the end of the show’s seventh season.

Rickards, who plays tech wizard Felicity Smoak, made the announcement on her Instagram account and hinted she was saying goodbye to the character after seven seasons. Reports state her contract is up after season seven and she has decided to move on from the show.

View this post on Instagram

❤️🖤💛💕💜💙 The time has come to talk of many memes. Of bows and arrows and superheroes and Olicity and Queens And why TGA is so damn hot And yes, canaries need more scenes… But wait just one minute before we go and do all of that For this makes me out of breath To have this not small chat Felicity and I are a very tight two But after one through seven we will be saying goodbye to you I thank you all for the time we’ve shared The elevators we have climbed The monsters we have faced and scared And The burgers we have dined I will keep her in my heart for always And I hope that you can too Because she would not be alive if it weren’t for all of you 💕 Love, Felicity and Me

A post shared by emilybett (@emilybett) on Mar 30, 2019 at 11:24am PDT

The CW confirmed the news Saturday afternoon and show co-creator/executive producer Greg Berlanti and executive producer/showrunner Beth Schwartz said they are “heartbroken”, but wish Rickards well in the future.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Emily since season one and in those past seven years, she has brought one of TV’s most beloved characters to life. And although we’re heartbroken to see both Emily and Felicity leave the show, we’re completely supportive of Emily and her future endeavors. She will always have a family at Arrow,” the pair said in a joint statement.

The news shocked fans and has left everyone with questions about Felicity’s fate on screen. Considering she is in the flash-forwards, it seems likely that Rickards’ character may go into hiding to protect her family from the threats of Star City.

Are you surprised Rickards is exiting the show? Let me know in the comments below!

Arrow returns to The CW on April 15 in its new timeslot of 9/8c.