Rumors that Kate Mansi is leaving her role as Abigail on Days of Our Lives are continuing to heat up.  

Is Kate Mansi Leaving 'Days of Our Lives?'

Reports emerged recently that the young star, who is currently on the front burner as she fights for her life following her fiance Ben (Robert Scott Wilson) kidnapping her and holding her hostage in an abandoned cabin, is considering not renewing her contract, which ends in December. Now, with news of a new role that Days is casting (which is scheduled to begin taping in December and air in May of next year), could be code for an Abigail recast.  

According to Soap Opera Digest, a casting call has gone out from the soap for a new contract role of "Val," a "gorgeous, 25-year-old Caucasian female who is described as 'passionate, intelligent and sensitive.' Val blows into town in a whirlwind...She appears successful on the outside, a girl who seems to have it all but...at times she has a fragility and [vulnerability] that gives us the feeling of a painful past that she desperately wants to keep secret."  

The call has started speculation that Val is actually a code name for an Abigail recast so that news of Mansi's departure stays quiet until she confirms it for herself, a move that has been used before by soaps. Days itself used the method earlier this year with the calls for new characters named Danielle, Mason and Elijah, who never appeared on the canvas. They were later revealed to be code names for the SORAS'd characters of Ciara (formerly played by Lauren Bowles and now portrayed by Vivian Jovanni), Chase (previously portrayed by Connor Kalopsis and now played by Jonathan McClendon), and Theo (formerly Terrell Ransom JR and now Kyler Pettis).  

No one from Days of Our Lives has commented on the rumors about Mansi or the new role of Val.  

Days of Our Lives airs Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. on NBC.  

Tags: Days Of Our Lives nbc Soap Operas