Susan Flannery to Exit The Bold and the Beautiful

We don't often cover soap opera news at TV Fanatic. Unless it's really big soap opera news - and the following qualifies:

Susan Flannery, who has helped anchor The Bold and the Beautiful since its 1987 premiere, is leaving the daytime drama.

A source tells Soaps in Depth that the veteran actress has given producers notice and signed a short-term contract in order to give writers a chance to properly write her character of Stephanie Forrester out.

Flannery's announcement arrives a week after another original star, Ronn Moss, also confirmed his impending departure.

These exits leave John McCook and Katherine Kelly Lang as the only remaining original cast members on The Bold and the Beautiful and while McCook's future status is uncertain, Lang has inked a new two-year deal with the program.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.