It’s bad news for ‘Game Of Thrones’ fans, as the rumours surrounding the final season of the fantasy drama are true – at least according to its star Sophie Turner, who has claimed that the eighth and ultimate season will not premiere until 2019.

The 21 year old English actress, who plays Sansa Stark, spoke to Variety in an interview published on Wednesday (December 6th), and confirmed that season eight of ‘Game of Thrones’ “comes out in 2019” and added there is still “six or seven months left” of filming for it.

Rumours concerning the final six episodes of HBO’s expansive fantasy drama, which made its debut way back in 2011, began when the seventh season concluded back in August. However, HBO did not issue any statements at the time.

Sophie TurnerSophie Turner has revealed that 'Game of Thrones' season 8 won't appear until 2019

The eighth and final season is also rumoured to be making up for what it lacks in total number of episodes (just the six) by making each of them possibly as long as a feature film.

‘Game of Thrones’ had previously stuck to a pretty consistent release schedule, but the seventh season was delayed out of necessity because ‘winter had finally arrived’ in Westeros, therefore meaning that filming had to wait until later in the year.

More: ‘Game of Thrones’ director teases “violent but surprising” chapter in Arya / Sansa rivalry

Elsewhere in the interview, Turner also spoke about the mood on-set as filming commenced for the final time, and she revealed that the cast – or at least those whose characters had survived! – felt “emotional”.

“When we all had the read-through for the final season, it was very, very emotional,” Turner said. “For the first time in ‘Game of Thrones’ history, we had everyone there. All of the Americans wanted to come over. Every single cast member was pretty much there. We’re all kind of feeling the end of it coming. We’re all staying in town a little longer, going out for more meals, trying to get together more. We’re all trying not to take it for granted anymore.”

Turner, who recently got engaged to her boyfriend Joe Jonas, will next make a big-screen appearance as young Jean Grey in X-Men: The Dark Phoenix, which is scheduled for release in November 2018.

More: “She said yes!” Joe Jonas has proposed to his partner Sophie Turner