10/30/2014 AT 08:30 PM EDT
And Thursday, her final day in the fictional town of Salem, was no exception. As Sami left for Hollywood, Alison Sweeney, who played the character for 21 years, posted an emotional farewell to her fans on Facebook.
“We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?” she wrote. “It was quite literally a dream come true for me … I’m proud of who I’ve become as a result of my 21 years in Salem.”
The reality host announced in January she would be leaving the daytime drama later in the year to spend more time with her family.
Since filming her final scene on May 23, Sweeney has announced she will add directing to her Biggest Loser hosting duties, as she will be helming episodes of ABC soap General Hospital.
Back in June, Sweeney told PEOPLE, “It was hard to keep it together,” of shooting her farewell scene. “My kids [Benjamin, 9, and Megan, 5] were there, so I feel like that helped me avoid the ugly cry. But I totally had tears streaming down my face.”
And though fans won’t see her on Days any more, Sweeney assured them she’ll still be around.
“I’m still going to be around okay?! So this isn’t really goodbye. At least it isn’t goodbye for me. This is just my opportunity to say a great big, sincere, tearful, THANK YOU. For everything. Every cheer, every tear, every tweet, post and letter. Thank you for investing in me and my character.”
