During a recent appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Billie Piper finally opened up about her Doctor Who departure back in 2006. She left the popular BBC series after just two seasons, which was a devastating loss to fans who loved what she brought to the table as Rose Tyler.
Admitting that she "didn't know that it would be successful," the actress went on to discuss the impact the show had on her acting career.
"It made me really famous again in that sort of mainstream fame way that I find really uncomfortable." As for why she left, Piper added: "I think that played into it but also I was just at the beginning of my acting career."
"As much as I love that show, I love Rose Tyler, Russell T Davies and all the people that I continue to have a relationship with, I wanted to do different stuff. I didn’t like the responsibility of being a sort of role model."
Despite those reservations about where Doctor Who was taking her career, Piper admits that she enjoyed her time in that world, and acknowledged that it was "great in many ways." She would later return for a brief appearance in season four, but has otherwise worked on different UK TV shows like Secret Diary of a Call Girl and I Hate Suzie on Sky Atlantic.
Something the actress didn't comment on here (no great surprise considering it was a BBC interview) are the recent allegations against her co-star Noel Clarke.
You can read more about those accusations and how they relate to Doctor Who by clicking here.