Michelle Dockery: 'I will never leave Downton Abbey - I'm here till the end'

Actress has quashed rumours she is leaving the hit period drama

Michelle Dockery stars as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey (AP)

Michelle Dockery has quashed rumours she is leaving Downton Abbey after the next series, and says she will continue to act in the drama “till the end”.

Speculation has grown about whether Dockery would leave the Bafta award-winning series after appearing in Hollywood movie Non-Stop earlier this year, but the Lady Mary actress has confirmed the rumours are not true.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter while filming season five on set, Dockery said: “I’m here to the end, whenever that may be”, adding that she found the constant media speculation about her Downton exit “amusing”.

“It amuses me more than anything, because it’s all speculation, and I think it’s down to the fact the show has such a popularity,” she said.

Rumours about the actress leaving the show were at their peak after Lady Mary’s husband Matthew Crawley’s character was killed off due to actor Dan Stevens wanting to pursue projects in America.

Jessica Brown Findlay, who played Lady Sybil Crawley, also left Downton Abbey in 2012 and has since appeared in TV drama Jamaica Inn and fantasy series Labyrinth.

Filming has begun on the fifth series of Downton Abbey, which is due to air later this year on ITV.

Anna Chancellor and Richard E Grant have been confirmed to join the cast, and will star alongside Downton regulars Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Joanne Froggatt.

Read more: Michelle Dockery interview