By now, daytime fans have already gotten used to Sabrina Costelana Newman, who joined The Young and the Restless earlier this year.  But it seems that viewers will have to accept the fact that her portrayer, Raya Meddine, will soon bid farewell to the CBS long-running soap.

Meddine first appeared on The Young and the Restless in February as the best friend of Victor Newman's (Eric Braeden) daughter, Victoria (Amelia Heinle). Her character Sabrina initially came to Genoa City to check in on Victoria, who had just come out of a months-long coma.  Although she planned on making a new beginning in New York City as a Consulting Private Curator, she stayed in Genoa as she fell in love with Victor, who eventually married her.

According to Soapcentral.com, Meddine has been let go from The Young and the Restless despite having signed a three-year contract.  Though an official reason hasn't been disclosed, it has been reported that her character Sabrina never quite caught on with viewers of the soap, especially when writers paired her so quickly with a much-older mega-millionaire.

"We were all a little blindsided," a show insider told Soapcentral.com.  "No one tells the same story about why they decided to get rid of Raya."

Meanwhile, not much has been revealed about Sabrina's exit except that it will be a dramatic ending that will be connected to the previously reported exit of Vincent Irizarry (David Chow). Nevertheless, the departure of the two cast members will not happen at the same time.

"This will be a big one," the show source said.  "We're going to feel the effects of this for a pretty long time."

Meddine has reportedly taped her final scenes on The Young and the Restless, though her final airdate has not been made public.  However, there are speculations that she will leave the show in August.



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Soapcentral.com
(Image courtesy of CBS)