Is Sister Veronica leaving Call the Midwife, and is her heartbreaking mid-season ‘exit’ permanent?

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Call the Midwife spoilers follow.

Sister Veronica’s (Rebecca Gethings) deep sadness over not being able to have a child has been one of the most emotionally difficult stories to follow in the fifteenth season of Call the Midwife.

Even though she tried to hide it, her deep unhappiness became clear when she was caring for Christopher (Max Ho). She eagerly spent time with the sick child, hoping to distract herself from her own feelings of despair.

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When it was time to return Christopher to his mother in Hong Kong, she was both happy and sad to have extra time with him, knowing she’d eventually have to say goodbye.

It’s understandable that Sister Veronica requested and received a six-week leave of absence to consider leaving her religious life. But will she decide to stay away permanently? And have we seen the last of her as a Sister?

This isn’t the first time a character has unexpectedly departed the BBC series. Bryony Hannah, who played Sister Mary Cynthia, left during the sixth season after a traumatic attack took a psychological toll. Despite fans wanting to see her return, it never happened.

We probably haven’t seen the last of Sister Veronica, unlike Sister Mary Cynthia whose story felt completely finished. However, don’t get too excited – the writers might still be planning for her to leave the show eventually.

Sister Veronica isn’t the first nun at Nonnatus House to think about leaving her religious life. Many viewers will recall that Shelagh Turner, formerly Sister Bernadette, did the same. However, her situation was quite different from Sister Veronica’s, which could explain why their experiences might turn out very differently.

Shelagh decided to leave the convent after falling in love with Dr. Patrick Turner and wanting to start a family with him. It’s possible that if she hadn’t met him, she would have remained a nun.

Beyond their close relationship, Patrick helped Shelagh become connected to the Poplar community. Because his medical practice closely collaborates with Nonnatus House, it was natural for her to stay in the area.

Unlike the others, Sister Veronica has no strong ties to Poplar. If she were to leave the sisterhood, which is a real possibility, there wouldn’t be much to keep her here.

Although she has friends outside the religious order, leaving it is a deeply difficult choice, as shown by how long she’s struggled with this decision. Starting a family will constantly remind her of the life she’s leaving behind, and staying close to the order might make that pain unbearable.

Of course, this is all just conjecture, which is good because it would be heartbreaking to imagine losing Gethings’s incredible and honest portrayal of the character.

It remains to be seen how this story will develop. We hope Call the Midwife can give this beloved character the emotional resolution she deserves, while still keeping her on the show for a while longer.

Call the Midwife airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

Read more Call the Midwife news on our dedicated homepage

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2026-02-09 00:21