"I told myself when I signed the contract that that would be it: no more, no less," offers Josh Duhamel, who taped his final scenes in late September. "So, the decision to leave wasn't difficult. But the actual leaving was, because I never dreamed I would love going to work there every day as much as I did. It was emotional and sad because it's hard to say good-bye to people you care so much about. On the other hand, it was a happy good-bye because I couldn't asked for a better run, and it all felt natural that it ended when it did. There were no messy contract negotiations, no bitterness, no hard feelings. It was the perfect ending to a perfect three years." Adds the actor, "I'll miss the cast and crew, who have become my second family. And the hot tub in my dressing room (laughs). And little Budig. I couldn't have been luckier than getting to work with her every day. I can honestly say that the people at AMC are the finest group of people I have ever worked with.

And I can't begin to tell the fans how much their support has meant to me, I'm an actor; therefore, I am incredibly vain and insecure. All actors want desperately to be liked; that's why we're actors. So, knowing that I had the support of the fans truly helped me gain the confidence to take risks and grow as an actor, so I thank them; Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will miss you and I will never forget you,"

And his plans now? "I'm going over to As The World Turns," Duhamel cracks. But seriously, folks.... "I'm going to I.A-- Kristy's there," Duhamel responds, referring to his long-time girlfriend, Kristy Pierce. "I've been pretty lonely. It's going to be nice because we've been apart for three years." How about on the professional front? "Ultimately, I want to do films," he muses, joking that when he becomes a big star, he will still take calls from us little people. "But," he grins, "you'll have to go through my agents, managers, publicists, and personal assistants first!"