Last month, Soap Central reported that newcomer YaYa DaCosta (Cassandra Foster) would exit her role sometime in August. The former runner-up on America's Next Top Model debuted as Cassandra back in April, but the character never seemed to find her place in Pine Valley. As a result, Cassandra will leave Pine Valley.
The exit is said to be dictated by story. When news of DaCosta's exit was first published, many fans feared that Cassandra would be killed off. The rumor was seemingly fueled by reports that incoming head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. was planning a massive "umbrella story" that would involve a natural disaster. As is typically the case, fans will usually try to connect the dots between storyline developments and an actor's exit and many figured that Cassandra would be killed in the purported disaster.
That is not the case. Cassandra will leave Pine Valley -- very much alive -- and return to Paris. While the show will not discuss the reasons behind the model-turned-actress' departure, a spokesperson states that the role of Cassandra will not be recast.
DaCosta's final airdate is August 25.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, Mario Van Peebles (Samuel Woods) will exit All My Children. While the show insisted that the actor would "continue to appear on recurring status," that no longer appears to be the case. Samuel will head "off to focus on his campaign" in the weeks ahead. The door will remain open for an eventual return, but an insider tells Soap Central that fans shouldn't count on it.
