Soap Opera Digest is reporting some news which has many Days of Our Lives fans in a state of shock. Daytime Emmy-winning actress Natalia Livingston has been let go as Taylor. The show has recast the character with another familiar face: Tamara Braun (ex-Ava). Co-Executive Producer Gary Tomlin explains to Digest, “The show decided to take the character of Taylor in a new direction.”

DAYS fans recall that Tamara Braun played Ava Vitali, Steve Johnson’s crazy, scorned ex-lover from February 2008 until August 2008. The actress won a Daytime Emmy the following year for her performance. After going off her pills which caused her to have mood swings and manic episodes, Ava became friends with Nicole and lovers with John Black before going on the run for her crimes.

Good luck to the very beautiful and talented Natalia Livingston. Tomlin tells Digest, “Natalia Livingston is an amazing actress and a consummate professional. She is a class act and everyone at the studio adores her.”

Many fans are having mixed reactions to this news. Personally, I absolutely loved the character of Ava and thought Tamara Braun did a fantastic job on DAYS three years ago. She definitely made things in Salem interesting, and had loads of chemistry with everyone she interacted with, including Nicole. I wish Livingston all the best, but I cannot wait to see Tamara Braun on DAYS again! Braun started taping yesterday, February 15, and will first air as Taylor in late April.