'Young And The Restless' star Greg Rikaart leaving show after 14 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actor Greg Rikaart arrives during the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, June 23, 2012. (Reuters)
"Young and The Restless" star Greg Rikaart will bow out of the CBS soap after 14 years.
Rikaart shared news of his departure in an emotional post on Instagram.
"Fourteen years ago, I booked a two-week long gig on 'The Young and the Restless,'" the actor shared. "In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined what it would turn into: a career-defining experience that has brought me so much happiness and fulfillment."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rikaart, who played villain-turned-good guy Kevin Fisher said he does not know what's in store for his character.
"Playing Kevin and watching him evolve over the years has mirrored my real life in so many ways," he wrote. "We both found love, both became dads and we both have more gray hair now than we did in 2003...it's hard to know where he ends and Greg begins."
The 40-year-old thanked his fans and his crew and cast mates on the long-running soap opera.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I am sad to leave a place I hold so dear but also really excited about what the future holds," he concluded. "The journey is just beginning."