Heather Stevens (seemingly) met her maker during the September 26th (2024) installment of The Young and the Restless, meaning that Vail Bloom has wrapped her run on the storied CBS sudser…for the time being.

Vail Bloom Talks Her Shock Exit From Y&R, Teases A Return

“I had about three weeks’ notice,” relayed the actress to TVInsider while discussing her alter-ego’s (apparent) demise. “It’s always surprising when you get that news, but you’re aware that that can happen. That’s just the world of soaps. But any time you get news like that, it’s shocking because you love the character and it was such a beautiful, long run woven in and out through a couple decades.”

But there’s nothing resembling hard feelings. Noted Bloom: “You can understand and appreciate that for a storyline, it’s gonna get a lot of bang for your buck. You’re going to pull on the heartstrings of the audience, you’re going to engage them, you’re going to offset and uplift a different storyline.

“But there’s sadness because change is always hard. I love Heather, and I love what she’s done this year and it’s fun playing her. But as an actor, you know this show is not just about you. You’re fitting into a larger story with a lot of people.”

People like onscreen hubby Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti), whom Bloom labeled “My favorite to work with. My absolute favorite.” Not that going toe-to-toe with Sharon Case (Sharon Newman) was any hardship.

ICYMI: SHARON CASE REFLECTS ON 30 YEARS AT Y&R

Says Bloom: “We had a lot of fun. Sharon is extremely relaxed in between scenes, and she’s very go-with-the-flow. There are certain actors that are not as go with the flow and there are certain actors that are neutral. She rolls with it and she really brings a lot to play with. She doesn’t have an ego that you sometimes see in acting. She’s really humble and so chill in between scenes. At the end, we were like, ‘Oh, no. What are we going to do now? Ok, let’s link up outside of work.’ ”

But what of a potential return? Anything’s possible! “I think resurrection is always cool,” mused Bloom. “I’m a huge fan of resurrection. I think what’s really fun about daytime as opposed to maybe other formats is you can experience things beyond your wildest dreams. I would be open to it if the fans really wanted to see more of Heather again.

“I don’t think it’s the last time you’ll see Heather. You really never know in the wonderful, wild world of soaps.” (And truer words were never spoken!)

If this does indeed prove to be Heather’s swansong, will you miss Vail Bloom on your screen? Let us know in the comments section below.