Kim Cattrall's absence has been explained in the first episode of 'And Just Like That'.
The 65-year-old actress hasn't returned for the 'Sex and the City' revival series - which sees Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprise their roles as Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York Goldenblatt - and bosses had to write her character Samantha Jones out of the HBO show.
The first two episodes were released on Thursday (09.12.21), and an early scene shows the three women in a restaurant talking to longtime friend Bitsy Von Buffling, who asks where Samantha is.
The trio awkwardly try to explain her absence, as Miranda explains she isn't dead while Carrie reveals she's in London.
Miranda adds: "She's moved to the UK... for work."
Later in the opening episode, the pair are talking and Carrie reveals she wasn't able to keep Samantha on as her publicist due to how the book business is doing.
She adds: "She said fine, then fired me as a friend."
Although Mrianda argues that Samantha's "pride got damaged", Carrie is hurt by the turn of events.
Meanwhile, Kristin previously revealed Samantha had to feature "in some way", and she confirmed Kim's character wouldn't be overlooked during the series.
She said: "There is respect for Samantha, there is... it's part of the story."
The actress also insisted that in spite of Kim's absence, she and her castmates still respect the contribution she made to the success of 'Sex and the City'.
She said: "We would never disrespect Samantha."
Kim previously claimed that she was never friends with her 'Sex and the City' co-stars.
The actress appeared alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon in the hit TV series - but she was never close friends with any of them.
She said in 2017: "We've never been friends. We've been colleagues and in some ways it's a very healthy place to be because then you have a clear line between your professional life and relationship and your personal."
