'General Hospital' star Robert Palmer Watkins: 'Not my decision to leave'

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Robert Palmer Watkins says he is leaving General Hospital, but it wasn't his choice to do so.

"Things in life can either break you or set you on fire for the next chapter Consider me LIT #gh #grateful @GeneralHospital @valentinifrank," Watkins tweeted Friday, along with a brief video.

"Robert Watkins here, also known as your Dillon Quartermaine, who I have enjoyed so much playing over the last couple of years," he said in the clip. "I just had to reach out to you guys because, honestly, all of the love and all of the support you guys have shown me on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook has put a smile on my face. This was not my decision to leave the show, but I am so grateful for the time that I've had on General Hospital. It's been an amazing opportunity. I've learned so much."

He then thanked the ABC soap's writers, producers, crew, actors and fans, adding: "Thank you for letting me be your Dillon. I hope I can come back. ... This is not the end of me. Look out for my movie Last Three Days, coming out next year."

The fate of the character he has played on GH since 2015 was not immediately clear.