Pauley Perrette thinks back on her acting career as she enjoys time away from the spotlight

Pauley Perrette, who portrayed Abby Sciuto on NCIS for 16 years, was a longtime fan favorite.

Since leaving in 2018, the actress has been very clear about her future career in the entertainment industry.

"I'm retiring," she told TV Insider, while promoting the premiere for sitcom Broke in 2020. "And I meant it! Nobody believed me, but I did."

"The most interesting thing about saying you are retired is checking who is or who is not still your friend. (SHE CAN’T HELP MY CAREER NOW?!?!?!) Fascinating! And VERY TELLING!"

She wrote:

While Pauley's fans often still ask her whether she will one day return to NCIS, it's unlikely - according to her former co-star, Brian Dietzen.

Many people thought that she might come back last year, and after he shared a picture with her on Twitter, it seems that she is definitely up for it.

Fans would love to see Pauley Perrette return to "NCIS" TV series

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"But that's the beauty of the show. We can refer to past characters who are no longer on the show and refer to those people like family members who no longer live in the same house.

The NCIS actress previously announced that she is retiring from acting

"You still talk about people. They're still in your heart. I love that there's a potential for that, but I haven't heard anything directly about her returning."

Pauley herself has talked about the possibility of returning to the programme, revealing that she has no plans to.