In a 2003 interview with "Graham Norton", Long said she left for a variety of reasons, the most important of which was her desire to spend more time with her toddler daughter. In a 2007 interview on Australian television, Long claimed Danson was "a delight to work with" and talked of her love for co-star Nicholas Colasanto ("Coach"), who was "one of my closest friends on set". She said she left the show because she "didn't want to keep doing the same episode over and over again and the same story. I didn't want it to become old and stale." She went on to say that "working at "Cheers" was a dream come true...it was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. So, yes, I missed it, but I never regretted that decision."