Why did Josephine Jobert leave Death in Paradise?

Joséphine Jobert is back! The actress made a surprise return at the end of Sunday night's episode of Death in Paradise, which saw her character Florence Cassell making her way to Saint Marie after coming out of witness protection. 

In the final moments of the episode, Commissioner Selwyn (Don Warrington) receives a phone call on his way out of the police station. 

Picking up his mobile, he says: "So it's true? You can come out of witness protection?"

© Denis Guyenon

The cameras then flashed to Florence driving a car alongside an idyllic coastal road. "It sure is, Sir," she responds. "Miss me?"

While we're so excited to find out what happens in next week's episode, we can't help but wonder why Joséphine left the drama in the first place. Keep reading to find out... 

Joséphine, 38, first joined Death in Paradise back in 2015 and has since left and returned on a couple of occasions. 

Speaking about her first departure back in 2019, she said in a video posted on Twitter, now X: "Just a message to just say thank you and goodbye. For those who watched episode six you now know I'm leaving Death in Paradise. 

© Denis Guyenon

"I quit the show for personal and professional reasons - nothing dramatic I swear! Everything is fine it's just that I've been working on Death in Paradise for five years... I loved every minute of it. I'm going to miss the show, I'm going to miss Toby and Ardal and Shyko and everyone so it's been a tough decision, but that's life."

The actress made a comeback in the tenth and 11th seasons of the show before departing once again. Chatting with HELLO! in 2022 about her decision to return, Joséphine said: "I already left in series eight, I thought it would be for good, honestly, I thought, 'I'm done.' Then they asked me back for series ten as I was like, 'Hmmm I don’t know, okay I'm going to do it.' But I knew it wouldn't be forever, I knew it. How long, I didn't know. I had an idea but I wasn't sure."

© Denis Guyenon

Florence sparked fan speculation about her return in series 13 after commenting on a post from the show's official social media account in May last year. 

Sharing a snap of a clapperboard underwater, the drama announced that filming was underway. "We're back in Guadeloupe with a splash! Today was our first day of filming series 13 of #DeathInParadise!" read the caption. 

Joséphine took to the comments section with several flame emojis, sparking speculation amongst fans about a potential comeback. 

© Red Planet/Amelia Troubridge

The French star has also teased a possible appearance in the spin-off series, Beyond Paradise. "It's a possibility that we discussed with the producer some time ago," she previously revealed. "So we'll see if that will happen. But I would love to anyway. It would be a very nice wink."

Death in Paradise airs on Sundays on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm.