 Jacobs departed from Holby City in 2011 , wanting to " broaden [ her ] horizons " after seven years in the programme . The thirteenth series saw the departure of many regular cast members , and the arrival of a group of new ones , including Guy Henry , Laila Rouass , and Jimmy Akingbola . Jacobs deemed it " a new era with a new cast " , one which she was not part of , and stated that the time felt right to leave . She had some input in her exit storyline , the focal point of which was Donna 's relationship with Kieran , as they moved away to begin a new life together . Jacobs relayed feedback she had received from the general public with regards to how Donna should leave , and this was incorporated into her departure . The actress felt personal pressure to get Donna 's last scenes right , wanting to give the best performance possible . She found the filming " overwhelming " , explaining " it was incredibly emotional and intense , and it made it all very hard , and raw . [ ... ] It wasn 't until later that I realised I 'd put myself under a hideously stressful situation , and that I should just be enjoying the experience . " She stated : " I 've absolutely loved playing Donna . I know that I 'm going to look back very fondly on the time I had with her . I really got to know the character , and she had so many facets and was always fun to play . " 
