‘Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner Thanks Sansa in Emotional Message Before Series Finale

Sophie Turner has some parting words for her character, Sansa Stark, ahead of the Game of Thrones finale on Sunday.

The 23-year-old actress posted a photo of the full cast of the HBO series on Instagram, along with a heartfelt thank you to her fictional persona. Turner credited the character with “teaching me resilience, bravery and what true strength really is.” She added that Sansa showed her how “to be kind and patient.”

In her Instagram post, Turner fondly looked back on her decade as the middle Stark child. She wrote that she “grew up with” the character, adding that this wasn’t a full goodbye. Turner vowed never to forget the lessons she learned while assuming the role on Game of Thrones before thanking all those who had a hand in bringing the show to life. The British star alleged that the role gave her “the best life” she could have imagined.

She concluded her message with a note to fans, thanking them for their continued support over the years. Turner said on Instagram that she would “miss this more than anything.”

“Thank you for falling in love with these characters and supporting this show right through till the end,” she wrote.

Co-star Emilia Clarke shared the same cast photo on Sunday ahead of the Season 8 finale of Game of Thrones. The actress, who plays Daenerys Targaryen on the show, posted her own emotional goodbye.

“Finding the words to write this post has left me overwhelmed with how much I want to say but how small words feel in comparison to what this show and Dany have meant to me,” she wrote. “The mother of dragons chapter has taken up the whole of my adult life. This woman has taken up the whole of my heart. I’ve sweated in the blaze of dragon fire, shed many tears at those who left our family early, and wrung my brain dry trying to do Khaleesi and the masterful words, actions (and names) I was given, justice.”

She went on to say, “Game of Thrones has shaped me as a woman, as an actor and as a human being. I just wish my darling dad was here now to see how far we’ve flown.”

Like Turner, Clarke took a moment to thank the fans for tuning in over the last 10 years.

“But to you, dear kind magical fans, I owe you so much thanks, for your steady gaze at what we’ve made and what I’ve done with a character that was already in the hearts of many before I slipped on the platinum wig of dreams. Without you there is now us,” she wrote on Instagram. “And now our watch has ended.”

The final episode of Game of Thrones will air Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.