Eva LaRue Leaving ‘General Hospital’ This Week: What We Know about Natalia Ramirez’s Final Storyline
Plus, find out what the actress had to say about her extended time working on the soap opera
The long-running ABC soap opera General Hospital will be seeing the exit of a controversial character this week: Natalia Ramirez. Played by actress Eva LaRue, the character’s upcoming departure may not come as a surprise to many loyal fans of the show, especially after what went down in a recent episode. Keep reading to find out more about Eva LaRue leaving General Hospital, what she had to say about the experience and what fans can expect for Natalia Ramirez’s final storyline.
Why Eva LaRue is leaving ‘General Hospital’
LaRue, 58, is saying goodbye to General Hospital this week as her character, Natalia Ramirez, will be written off the show. The actress, who is best known in the soap opera world for her role as Maria Santos Grey on All My Children, made her debut on GH in February 2024.
She was introduced as the mother of Alison ‘Blaze’ Ramirez, arriving in Port Charles to share her disapproval of her daughter’s same-sex relationship with Kristina Corinthos Davis. Despite being greatly disliked by many fans, Natalia stuck around longer than expected.
Now, however, it seems that the character’s time on the show has come to an end.
“Eva’s been a dear friend for years, and I am so pleased we found an opportunity to work together! What originally was meant as a guest star arc turned into a longer and more satisfying arc, thanks to Eva’s terrific work and chemistry with our cast,” Executive Producer Frank Valentini shared in a statement, reports TVInsider.com. “I was thrilled Eva was available to us in this extended role. I wish her all the best in her upcoming projects.”
Little is known about why the decision was made to wrap up the role, but it seems the writers have put some thought into her exit.
Natalia Ramirez’s exit: what fans can expect
There had been some attempts to make the character more likable by linking her with Sonny Corinthos, but viewers’ extreme dislike of Natalia meant any possibility of a love story got shelved. Then, after she broke his trust in a January episode, even their friendship appeared doomed. (LaRue shared in an interview with Soap Opera Digest that it was after this time she suspected Natalia’s days on the show were numbered.)
On the episode that aired Monday, June 30, it became clear to fans, too, that Natalia will soon be gone. Her scheme to leave for Belize under a new identity and avoid jail time for her link to the mob has been teased for a while. But in the new episode, she interrupts the christening of Sonny’s granddaughter under the assumption he’ll be running away with her.
After he makes it clear that it won’t be happening, Natalia doesn’t handle the news very well. While packing for her getaway, she ends up drinking whiskey and popping pills. Her nearly estranged son, Marco, ignores his mom’s texts, and Natalia eventually passes out.
There’s been no indication of whether she’ll survive the dangerous mix of alcohol and pills, but LaRue’s exit from the show this week has been confirmed. Viewers will have to tune into the show to find out Natalia’s fate!
What Eva LaRue said about her time on ‘General Hospital’
Though the actress had already sensed Natalia’s storyline was heading in an unfortunate direction, she was still grateful to have been kept on the show longer than planned.
“I had a blast at General Hospital,” she told Soap Opera Digest. “I loved being there and I had a lot of really great scenes and I loved everybody that I got to work with. It was just an awesome experience, and I was really glad that I got to stay longer than I was supposed to.”
LaRue also shared that despite the negative feedback regarding her character over the last year, she was happy to see that many of the loyal fans still showed some kindness. Many would tell her that as much as they disliked Natalia, they loved the chaos and turmoil she brought to the soap.
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