Dan Stevens reportedly not returning for season four of 'Downton Abbey'

Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey may not be returning for the fourth season.

"Dan Stevens isn't returning to the series. He will probably do the first episode of the fourth series, but that will be it," an insider revealed, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

Stevens will be in season three and is set to appear in the two-hour Christmas special as well as the first episode of season four, reports The Huffington Post. But how his character will leave the show or if it will affect his on-screen love interest is unknown at the moment.

Right now Stevens is in The Heiress on Broadway with actress Jessica Chastain.

"New York for me is going to be one big adventure. I will be taking the whole family out and we will be there for six months. I don’t know if I will be returning to Downton," he said about his move to the United States.

Downton Abbey's third season will premiere in the United States on January 6, 2013 on PBS.