Leighton Meester to Leave 'Gossip Girl'

There's only so much gossip a girl can take.

The 26-year-old Gossip Girl star, Leighton Meester, announced that she is planning to leave the hit show after her contract is up. "Two more years," she told E! Online, is how long she has to go. Meester assured that she "enjoys working on the show and living in New York," but also has interest in pursuing other projects. Fortunately, the producers are understanding of the cast taking time off to appear in motion pictures, and Meester is grateful for this flexibility. "It allows you to be ready for when the show's over," she said.

There's no word yet on when that time will come. When asked, Meester played coy. "I don't know," she said about when or if Gossip Girl is set to end. "But I think there's that old saying about wanting to go out on top."

Either way, the young actress has the future in mind. She's already made a major transition to the big screen in the upcoming Country Strong, in which she plays a beauty queen-turned-country singer opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. Country Strong hits theaters in limited release on December 22. —KIMBERLY STEELE