Alison Sweeney pulls double duty for NBC, hosting The Biggest Loser and starring in the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. So, it’s easy to see why she needs a break to spend time with her family. The actress told Ellen DeGeneres that she’s leaving Days after 21 years in the fictional town of Salem.

Sweeney, who has a Daytime Emmy win on her resume, told DeGeneres in the Tuesday episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that it’s time to retire Samantha "Sami" Brady. The 37-year-old has played the role since January 1993, when she was 16.

“I have never had more than a two-week vacation [since I began Days] in that whole time and yeah,” she told DeGeneres, notes Us Weekly. “It's [been] awesome. I love Sami, I love Salem, I love my job, I love daytime, I love the fans, I love everything about it.”

Sweeney explained that she really needs some time with her children. “My daughter just turned 5 and my son is 9, and I just want to be with them and enjoy my last year,” she said, reports AceShowBiz. “I'm really just excited to be with my kids and be with my husband and ...have fun. And I write, my second book's coming out and I love directing!”

She is married to David Sanov, a California Highway Patrolman.

It’s not clear when Sweeney’s final Days episode will air. She’s hoping Sami has a happy ending, but she also deserves a “Breaking Bad ending,” adding, “She's caused a lot of people a lot of problems.”

image: NBC