Doherty Departs Spell(bind)ing Soap

ByABC News
May 15, 2001, 7:26 PM

May 14 -- Shannen Doherty is no longer leading a Charmed kind of life.

The raven-haired actress has left her WB soap about three magically inclined sisters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This departure is her second from an Aaron Spelling-helmed production: The 30-year-old actress got her start on Spelling's Beverly Hills, 90210 but was fired in 1994 after allegedly raising hell on and off the set.

Spelling welcomed Doherty back in 1998, giving her a starring role in Charmed. She lasted three years. According to several media reports, there was tension on that set as well, including a bitter rivalry between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano.

Off the set, the actress continued to suffer public relations blows, pleading no contest to drunken driving charges stemming from a December arrest. She is due back in court on June 12 for sentencing.

"We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Shannen, and we didn't want to hold her back from what she wanted to do," Spelling TV said in a statement released Friday. "We hope to see her back on the network in the future," the WB added in a statement of its own.

Doherty directed the Charmed season finale, which will now be her last appearance on the show.