Per Soap Opera Digest Online:

Breaking News

ATWT Heartthrobs Out!

Sorry, Katie! AS THE WORLD TURNS' Mark Collier (Mike) and Paul Leyden (Simon) are both leaving Oakdale at the end of the year. For more, see the issue of Soap Opera Weekly on newsstands now, as well as the issue on stands Oct. 30.

Wow.

Sorry to see Mark Collier go. And Paul Leyden, actually.

Interesting choices of who to get rid of. Kinda surprising.

Sweet. I think both actors are good, but their characters are really annoying. So I'm not sorry to see them go.

Well I definetly love the news about Leyden being out. I HATE Simon with Carly and hopefully this means that CarJack will be reunited STAT!

Im gonna miss Mike though, I DID like him

I'll believe it all when I see it....

I wouldnt make too much of a deal about it. Didnt Mark Collier leave around this time last year as well to try out for pilot season, and it was in his newest contract that he had outs to enable him to try for pilots and stuff. This could just be that all over again.

Sad to see Paul Leyden go again. I like Simon and Carly as good friends with benefits, but not as a couple. Although I'm hoping that TPTB write MW's pregnancy in the show with Simon being the father. Since PL is leaving with the possibility of coming back there is so many storyline possibilities. Carly could find out that she is preggers with Simon's baby as Simon is leaving town. Knowing that she won't be able to track Simon down, Carly is crushed. This could lead to Jack and Carly reuniting and further down the line Simon returns to find that Carly has had another baby. He thinks it's Jack's, but little does he know that the baby is really his. Jack will want to keep the baby away from Simon convincing Carly it would be best not to tell Simon that he is the biological father because Simon won't bring any stability breezing into town one minute and leaving the next. This will also bring heartache to Katie when all is revealed that Simon is Carly's baby daddy. So many possibilities IMO, but I'm in the minority when it comes to Simon and Carly.

I'll believe it all when I see it....

Well believe it, because it's true. Paul Leyden said so himself that he wasn't sure if he would stay on the show long; it was even mentioned awhile back that he was going back to Australia at the end of the year, which means his character would be gone too.

As for Mark Collier, that's good that he wants to step down...Nothing wrong in that. Besides, they most likely will just recast the role of Mike.

For those that are glad that Simon is leaving so he can be away from Carly; his leaving doesn't necessarily mean, CarJack are officially going to be back together. I want them back together, but the way that things have been going, they could continue to keep them apart just for the sake of doing so.

Sweet. I think both actors are good, but their characters are really annoying. So I'm not sorry to see them go.

Totally Agree, exactly how I feel about it

I absolutely love that Leyden is leaving. I liked him his first time around, but have not cared for him at all since. I esp. hate him this time around.

I like Collier, but not a big fan of the character sometimes. And since he married Katie, he has gotten really boring.

To me ATWT is not losing a lot with either one in the acting department. The only thing is the Hunk Quotient goes down a little.

Frankly I'm surprised Mark hasn't left sooner. Mike is a useless character these days, and the Matie pairing has no substance all they do is hump like rabbits

Mike and Katie are boring. So maybe with Mike gone Katie will be interesting again. Ditto for Paul Leyden.

Mike and Katie are boring. So maybe with Mike gone Katie will be interesting again. Ditto for Paul Leyden.

The Matie pairing has ruined Katie for me. She used to be my favorite female character on the show. But since they paired her with him, she's basically been isolated. She barely gives her own nephew Johnny a second thought

Where does this leave Katie? I bet she goes after Jack!

I'll miss Mike. I've always liked him. Poor Katie