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Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern has hinted that she may be leaving the period drama after series five.

The actress - who plays Cora Crawley in the ITV show - has said that she wasn't sure if she "would be up" for another series.

"I know there is going to be another series but don't know whether I would be up for a season after that."

McGovern - who has been in the drama since the pilot episode aired in 2010 - also spoke to the Express about the challenges of playing Cora.

"There are always little challenges about playing a part, both when it’s central to the story and when it’s not," she said.

"One of my biggest challenges is wondering why Cora doesn't seem to know what's going on in her house so much of her time!"

It was recently confirmed that Downton Abbey would return for a fifth series in 2014.

Downton will return at Christmas with a two hour feature episode which will see American actress Shirley MacLaine reprise her role as Martha Levinson.

Hollywood actor Paul Giamatti will be joining the cast as Cora’s playboy brother, Harold, alongside all the much loved regular characters of the show.