Actor Andrew Lincoln revealed he was leaving the AMC show earlier this year, and his dramatic exit aired in the States last night
RICK Grimes made a truly explosive exit from The Walking Dead last night.
Andrew Lincoln, who has played the protagonist since 2010, revealed he was leaving the AMC show last month, but it was not known if he would be killed off.
However, fans were delighted after the dramatic episode aired, as Rick was saved by Anne after getting badly injured in an explosion.
Rick had already freed himself from a horrific impaling when he began to coax a group of 'walkers' away from his loved ones.
Leading the zombie horde to nearby bridge, he proceeded to kill the creatures by letting off an explosion - which seemingly sacrificed his own life in the process.
The likes of Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) watched on in horror, but it was later revealed he had survived when Anne found him washed up on the riverbank.
The leader, formerly known as Jadis, had struck a deal with a mystery group of saviours during the episode, who soon arrived by helicopter and flew the pair to safety.
Fans were delighted by the scenes, having been left devastated when Andrew confirmed he was leaving earlier this year.
However they did not need to mourn for long, as it was later revealed the actor would be returning as Rick Grimes for three Walking Dead movies instead.
AMC content chief Scott M. Gimple told last week: "There is more story to tell and we'll be telling it.
"The story of Rick will go on in films. Right now, we're working on three but there's flexibility in that."
There was speculation that Lincoln decided to leave because of creative differences with AMC.
He was thought to have objected to the current state of the series, and fans wondered if it was because Rick's son Carl was killed off.
However the star, who lives in London, later told that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
He said: "I have two young children, and I live in a different country, and they become less portable as they get older.
"It was that simple. It was time for me to come home."
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