Peppa Pig star Harley Bird quits £1,000-an-hour voiceover role after 13 years

Bird has voiced the anthropomorphic pig since she was five years old

Harley Bird, who has voiced children's TV favourite Peppa Pig for the past 13 years, has announced she is stepping down from the role.

Bird, who is now 18, has voiced the character since she was five years old, having appeared in 185 episodes of the series.

She said in a statement that she is quitting the series to focus on her “next chapter”, and called the experience “an incredible journey”.

Bird will be replaced in February by Amelie Bea Smith, 9, who is the fourth actor to play the pig.

Bird replaced Lily Snowden-Fine, who voiced Pippa in the show’s first series, and Cecily Bloom, the star of the show’s second series.

It was claimed in 2018 that Bird earned £1,000 an hour for voicing Pippa.

During Bird’s time on the series, Peppa Pig was banned in China for “promoting gangster subculture”, and blamed for making a number of young American children speak with British accents.

“The people that work on Peppa Pig have become like a family to me and they’ve given me some unforgettable memories,” Bird said.

“I wish Amelie the best of luck in the role and am looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life.”