General Hospital is about to lose another popular star: Drew Cheetwood, who plays Sonny's bodyguard, Milo Giambetti.

"The game changer was starting a family and having kids," the actor told Soaps In Depth of his decision to walk away from GH and move his brood to the Midwest this November. "I'm in full support of how I was brought up -- the values, the mentality. I thought somewhere in the Midwest would make sense one day. And all the things that I am, I can do there, too."

But does Cheetwood's departure mean that his alter ego will never be heard from again? The actor, who joined his real-life brother, Derk Cheetwood (Max), in Port Charles in 2006, says he and the show's executive producer, Frank Valentini, had a conversation about Milo dropping in from time to time. "I gave Frank Valentini the rundown of where my heart was," Cheetwood says. "I said, 'I hope it doesn't mean that Milo can never be a part of the show again. If you guys can group some shows together, maybe I can fly out.'"

To find out what Valentini had to say to Cheetwood's suggestion, check out Soaps In Depth's full story here.

UPDATE: Apparently, though Cheetwood is leaving the state of California, he is not actually leaving GH. "Hey guys, thanks for all the well wishes on my family's upcoming move back to the Midwest. I do want to clarify, as there seems to be some confusion," the actor wrote on Twitter, continuing, "While I will be leaving the state of California, I am NOT leaving GH. I will continue to recur [as] Milo as often as [executive producer] @valentinifrank & Company will have me. It's been an honor & privilege to work on this show for 10 years. I would never up and quit."

Are you sad to hear that Cheetwood will be exiting Port Charles? What do you think of his decision to raise his children outside of Los Angeles? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, on our message boards, or by submitting Feedback.

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