'Nashville' season 5 news: Connie Britton strikes down rumors about her exit; will Rayna die at the hands of her stalker?

Following rumors about her possible exit, Connie Britton recently announced that she won't be leaving CMT's "Nashville."

Britton, who plays Rayna in the country music drama, was rumored to leave the show last year after reports claimed that she only signed up for the first half of season 5. While visiting "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" last Wednesday, the 49-year-old actress delivered an assuring message to fans regarding the status of her "Nashville" role.

"I'm in it," she told daytime TV host DeGeneres when asked about her rumored departure. "I'm in. I'm in for the duration."

Aside from exploring the aftermath of Juliette's (Hayden Panettiere) plane crash, the supersized season 5 premiere also shed a light on Rayna James (Britton). The tension between Rayna and her husband Deacon started when they were working on their collaborative album, but the duo was able to resolve it by the end of the episode.

Unfortunately, it seems that Rayna's conflict with Deacon is only the first of the many complications she will be dealing with soon. The two-hour special wrapped up on an ominous note when an unidentified person appeared to be watching Rayna from across the street while listening to her music. She also received flowers from an anonymous sender, clearly implying that she has a stalker.

The scene led fans to speculate that Rayna might be killed off at the hands of a dangerous stalker. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, co-showrunner Marshall Herskovitz said fans just have to wait and see how Rayna's storyline plays out. "I put a huge premium on the audience's experience of the show as they watch it, the immediacy of that," he explained, adding, "If you know something's going to happen, then you're not having the same experience of it and we've always felt that."

The fifth season of "Nashville" airs every Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on CMT.