It’s nearly time for fans of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ to bid farewell to Elena, as Nina Dobrev bows out of the supernatural drama this Thursday on the CW. After six years on the series, Nina’s final episode is sure to be an emotional event, but for the actress leaving the show means taking the next, exciting step in her career.

Nina DobrevDobrev is leaving the CW series after six seasons.

"I feel like I’m a completely different person than I was and I’ve grown so much. It’s been a big part of my life, and I want it to be beautiful. I want it to end well,” Dobrev told this month’s issue of Self magazine.

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“I’ve loved working on this show. It’s been such a crazy, awesome adventure, and I’ve been surrounded by so many people who I consider family,” the actress added. “I know this is a new exciting step in the right direction for me, but it’s going to be so strange not to be with them.”

Speaking about Thursday’s episode, Nina promised fans they wouldn’t be disappointed as Elena’s story ends, describing the character’s final scenes as “epic and powerful”.

Last month Dobrev announced her exit from the series via an emotional Instagram post where she told fans, ‘I always knew I wanted Elena's story to be a six season adventure, and within those six years I got the journey of a lifetime.’

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‘I was a human, a vampire, a doppelganger, a crazy immortal, a doppelganger pretending to be human, a human pretending to be a doppelganger. I got kidnapped, killed, resurrected, tortured, cursed, body-snatched, was dead and undead, and there's still so much more to come before the season finale in May.’