Maggie Smith Plans to Leave 'Downton Abbey' After Next Season - Closer Weekly

Say it ain’t so!

Amidst rumors that Downton Abbey will end following the hit show’s upcoming sixth season, Maggie Smith has confirmed she plans to leave the cast after filming of the new season wraps.

“They say this [season] is the last one, and I can’t see how it could go on,” the 80-year-old actress revealed in a new interview.

Maggie as Violet Crawley on ‘Downton Abbey.’

“I mean, I certainly can’t keep going. To my knowledge, I must be [age] 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s,” she added, referencing the drama’s early 1900s setting.

Maggie — who plays Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley on the PBS series — joined the star-studded cast in 2010 with the show’s first season.

Since taking on the role, the actress revealed her work on the popular series has granted her a new level of fame that she often finds troubling.

Maggie (center) with the ‘Downton Abbey’ cast.

“One isn’t safe after doing ‘Downton.’ What’s sad is I’ve gone through my whole life without any of that. I could go round galleries and things on my own and I just can’t do it now,” she told ‘The Sunday Times.’

In January, a source confirmed to ‘The Mirror‘ that it was “an open secret that ‘Downton’ is ending this year.” No official announcement made been made about the show’s continuation after the upcoming sixth season.