Peppa Pig voice actress Harley Bird to step down after 13 years

Harley Bird, pictured, has voiced the character since she was 5. (Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

The actress who has been delighting toddlers as the voice of Peppa Pig for more than a decade is hanging up her puddle-jumping boots and stepping down from the role.

Harley Bird, 18, has played television's bossiest piglet in the children's cartoon for 13 years. In 2011, she won a BAFTA award for her work on the show.

Bird will be replaced by 9-year-old Amelie Bea Smith, who will appear in English-speaking episodes of the show from February, studio Entertainment One confirmed in a statement on Friday.

"We're delighted to welcome Amelie to the Peppa Pig voice cast and confident that she will continue the strong legacy of the previous Peppa voice actors," co-creators Neville Astley and Mark Baker said in a statement.

Smith's agent, Mark Jermin, said the 9-year-old was "thrilled" to be taking over the role.

"Amelie has been a huge fan of the show since she was little, so voicing the title role is like a dream come true and she's thrilled to become part of the voice cast," Jermin added.

Bird, who is the longest-standing voice of Peppa, has voiced 185 episodes since first starring in the show at the age of five.

In a statement, Bird called her work on the show "the start of an incredible journey" and wished Smith luck in the role.

The popular piglet has also been voiced by Lily Snowden-Fine and Cecily Bloom.