Law & Order: SVU fans saw Kelli Giddish give a heartbreaking goodbye to the NBC series on Thursday - and now the actress has revealed her tears were all too real.
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The final moment of the midseason finale, And a Trauma in a Pear Tree, saw her character Amanda Rollins and Captain Olivia Benson (played by Mariska Hargitay) embracing after Olivia finally came to terms with Amanda's departure from the team. The below video shows the moment the pair said their goodbyes....
WATCH: Kelli Giddish's final scene in Law & Order: SVU
"You're not losing me. We're friends. That's not gonna change. I'm not gonna disappear," Amanda reassured her friend and longtime colleague as the pair broke down in tears. "I wouldn't let you if you tried," replied Olivia before adding: "Don't postpone joy. I love you, Amanda."
"Of course [the tears were real]," Kelli has now shared.
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"It's funny because, after last night's show, it does feel more final now. I didn't expect today to feel that way," the star told People magazine.
"Now it's over and everyone's seen it. Everyone's gotten to experience it and feel all the feels that I felt, filming that last scene with Mariska."
Kelli as Rollins and Mariska as Benson (left)
"That relationship really developed organically over time into such a strong female relationship," she added of the pairing of Olivia and Amanda.
Kelli joined the show in 2010; her character arrived in New York from Georgia ready to learn from Olivia. But at the time, Olivia was grieving the then-loss of her partner Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and the pair's friendship began on rocky ground.
Kelli confirmed her exit from the show in August 2022.
A.D.A Sonny Carisi and Detective Amanda Rollins married in the midseason finale
"I wanted to address the chatter I've seen online and let everyone know that this will, indeed, be my last season on Law & Order: SVU," she wrote on social media.
"Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life. I've been so fortunate to be a part of the Law & Order family for the last 12 years. There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She's grown and changed, and I have as well. I started on this show when I was in my late 20s and I'm grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life."
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