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Some described it as a shock announcement. I saw it as inevitable.
Miley Cyrus announced this week she is to bid adieu to Hannah Montana - the Disney juggernaut that shot her into the celebrity stratosphere.
She wants to grow up. She wants to play different characters. She wants to go to Starbucks without being mobbed by thousands of baying tweens.
Which is fair enough. Except, I suspect she would have met that fate, regardless.
If anecdotal evidence is to be believed (and what else can one go on when dealing with the intangible phenomenon that is Miley Cyrus) the teen queen's reign is heading to an end.
My suspicions were aroused some weeks ago, when I tried to give away tickets to a screening of Miley's new film The Last Song. The hottest of hot property for the under-12 market, I thought.
Not so, it turned out.
According to the parental rumour-mill, Miley is, like, so passe right now. Their kids have moved on - and they're not taking poor old Miley with them.
Of course we all knew Hannah Montana couldn't stick around forever. Disney was already paving the way by releasing Miley's first non-Montana film this week.
Unfortunately for both Disney and Miley, they couldn't have chosen a worse vehicle to drive the separation if they tried. To say the film is lacklustre is an understatement. Mind-numbing sap would be more apt.
And while Miley might have been feeling bold and empowered leading up to Thursday's release - one suspects she might regret binning Montana's blonde wig come Monday.
One also suspects she had little choice. Disney might not have been looking to retire Montana prior to The Last Song, but they probably will now. The film will do nothing to win over an older fan base and is likely to alienate the younger fans who made her a star.
Indeed, this week's announcement has the distinct air of "jump before you are pushed".
So what if she earned the company more than $746 million? There's all manner of perky wannabes just waiting to pinch her crown.
It would be a foolish person indeed who thought we'd seen the back of Miley Cyrus - the girl has celebrity in her blood and will never be rid of it.
But for the under-12 audience, I think we've just heard Miley's last song.
Read more of Joanna Hunkin's blogs.
