The Flash actress Candice Patton sums up the last 9 years as her arc on show's final season draws to a close

After nine seasons, the TV series about the fastest man on earth, The Flash, with Grant Gustin as the title superhero, is drawing to a close this week. Candice Patton, who played Grant’s love interest Iris West-Allen on the show took to social media with a long emotional post about having been a part of the diversity in showbiz dialogue, among others.

She wrote, “I’ve been putting this off for a while because how do you sum up the last nine years in an ig post. Well time has run out so now I have to word vomit my feelings so here we go.”

“How do I feel? Gratitude. Overall immense gratitude for the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ve been in a pressure cooker that taught me so much about myself. I’ve grown immensely and I can’t imagine I’d have had this much self development and understanding about life and myself without this journey.”

“I’m grateful to Warner Brothers and CW. Not only for the opportunity but for the ongoing dialogue about diversity and change. Grateful to Greg Berlanti for also championing me and always being a phone call away if needed. Grateful for this wonderfully talented cast and crew. To all the actors and crew who have graced our stages - thank you for contributing to our success. “We are The Flash! ” (ok don’t kill me. I didn’t want to say that line either but in hindsight I’m glad I did. It’s iconic really.💁🏽‍♀️)”

“And gratitude of course for the incredible fans. Flash fans and my fans in particular: you HAD MY MF’n BACK. You spoke up and loudly for me when I couldn’t always speak up for myself. Thank you for championing this character and always demanding more for Iris. I hope I’ve made you happy and proud. I hope my journey has contributed in some small way to the world continuing to imagine black girls as leading ladies on and off screen. I’ve had the immense pleasure of meeting so many of you around the world. Thank you for the hugs. Thank you for allowing us into your homes every week for the last nine years. Whether you’ve watched every episode or stopped at season 3, I’m grateful you spent time with us and our crazy show. I hope we’ve made you laugh, cry, hurt, gasp, scream, eye roll... all of it! I’ve loved sharing this past decade with you.”

“My watch as Iris is over and I’m so proud that the baton has been handed over to the beautiful Keirsey. May she breathe new life into Iris for a new audience. Please support her. And now I can finally say the words to myself that I’ve said to Barry so many times over the last 9 years. “Run, Candice, Run! “Onward!”