JPI

We didn't want to believe it either, but it's true: Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) have been let go from "Days of our Lives."

This devastating news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that NBC will air the show until at least September 2010. Since then, rumors of major budget slashes have been swirling -- and it seems that Deidre and Drake are the first casualties of those cutbacks.

We know what you're thinking. They can't leave town when there's still so much of John and Marlena's story to tell. Will he get his memory back? Will she find a way to trust him again? Do these two have a future together? We've been asking ourselves the same questions and, apparently, "Days" executive producer Ken Corday has no intention of letting us down.

In an exclusive interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ken said "The couple will be happily reunited after a long period of angst and separation and will be off-screen after January for an unknown period of time. It was a very tough decision to make."

Hmmm ... an "unknown period of time"? Does this mean these two could return to Salem at some point in the future? No one knows for sure, but it certainly can't be ruled out as a possibility.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get them.

How do you feel about John and Marlena's shocking exits?