London - UPI
Maggie Smith, who plays the Dowager Countess of Grantham on the hit show Downton Abbey, will be remaining on the show longer than feared by fans.
After an interview in the London Times, fans feared her sentiments that her character Lady Violet Crawley may be reaching her final days in season six were a sign of Smith's imminent departure.
"They say this is the last one, and I can't see how it could go on," Smith told the paper. "I mean, I certainly can't keep going. To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now!"
The quote was misconstrued as an announcement that she was leaving the show, says her publicist.
"[Smith] has always been on the record as saying she'll be with the show for as long as the show runs," her representative said.
Creator Julian Fellowes does not have an end date in mind, but told the New York Times it won't go on forever.