<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has revealed there are no plans to kill off Dame Maggie Smith&amp;#039;s character. Fellowes explained that even if the 77-year-old actress were to leave the show, the character of Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, will not pass away.   &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m happy to say the Dowager is not going to die,&amp;quot; he is quoted as saying in The Sun. &amp;quot;Violet is going to live by the sea in case Maggie changes her mind.&amp;quot; Maggie Smith has been rumoured to be departing the ITV drama over the past year, with Fellowes previously stating that her exit would be &amp;quot;up to her&amp;quot;.  Earlier this month, Smith was taken to hospital suffering from chest pains. Downton Abbey was recently reported to be close to a fourth series renewal in the near future. The ITV period drama&amp;#039;s executive producer Gareth Neame revealed that the show&amp;#039;s future should be confirmed &amp;quot;in a few days&amp;quot;. Watch Digital Spy chat to the cast below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/downton-abbey/news/a440012/downton-abbey-julian-fellowes-maggie-smiths-violet-will-not-die/>