Raven Bowens, Lindsay Arnold chanel allie smiling together jpi days
Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

By the time Days of Our Lives’ Allie told Will and Sonny that she’d like to join them in New Zealand, the writing had been on the wall for a little while just based on how fast she and Chanel had crumbled. They’d seemed so strong after Chanel faced down Sloan with Paulina, only for everything to fall apart as Salem was hit by a slew of family deaths. (At least as far as everyone in town knows.)

And once Allie slept with Alex and Chanel moved out, well, it was clear there wasn’t much left for Sami’s daughter. And as for why it all had to happen, well, Lindsay Arnold tells Soap Opera Digest in their latest issue, in the end, it was just the right move.

“I came to the realization that I knew it was time,” she explains. “I had been thinking on it for pretty much a year. It wasn’t a last-minute decision. It was something that I really thought about. I felt like it was time to take a break for a while, explore some other things, and re-evaluate what I wanted to do in general.”

Allie and Chanel tearfully face each other in their apartment.

With that said, it wasn’t an easy decision to leave the show and the “family” she’s come to be a part of. “I knew I was going to miss everyone so much,” she adds. “I really care about the show, and I really value the people who work on it.”

And if there’s ever a chance of a “Challie” reunion, you can count on that love to be at least partly responsible. Rather than recast Allie, she was sent off with Sonny and Will — two  other characters who still have very deep ties to the fabric of Salem and know a thing or two about coming home to visit. Sometimes, as happened with Sonny, those visits have even been for extended stays.

As for Allie doing something similar, “I think the door is open,” Arnold tells Digest. “I would definitely like to pop in and say, ‘Hey,’ every once in a while. Again, I love that set so much and I love everybody who works there so much.”

Plus, the amount of support she’s gotten from viewers has certainly helped — and it’s proved that there is a place for Chanel and Allie.

“Thank you so much,” Arnold says to fans. “I really appreciated that love and support; the ‘Challie’ fans especially. I see everyone’s tweets. I see the ‘Challie’ tweets. They’re hilarious and have meant so much to me and Raven. Thank you for the constant support and love.”

Keep track of all the exits with our photo gallery of everyone who’s left Days of Our Lives.