Outlander has made some major cast changes for the upcoming seventh season of the hit Starz period drama, with several new and returning characters expected to join the show. 

While fans are thrilled to see the likes of Graham McTavish and Nell Hudson reprising their roles as Dougal MacKenzie and Laoghaire Fraser, some have been left heartbroken by the recasting of Jenny Murray.

Actress Kristin Atherton will be stepping into the role of Jenny, who is the older sister of protagonist Jamie Fraser, for the new season.

She was originally played by Laura Donnelly from seasons one to three of the popular period piece. 

Taking to Twitter to comment on the cast change, one fan wrote: "Jenny Murray got recast for #Outlander and while I'm happy to get more Jenny content, I'm gonna miss Laura Donnelly so hard. I hope she's busy making #TheNevers," while another added: "They recast Jenny," alongside a crying face emoji. 

A third fan commented: "Guys, I'm having mixed feelings here. No #LauraDonnelly as Jenny? I don't do well with change.

I'm sure it will be great no matter what. But still. My heart hurts a little. Tell me it will be ok."

Other viewers were more accepting of the change and took to social media to express their excitement for the new cast. One person tweeted: "Laura is a phenomenal actress and did a fantastic job in the role of Jenny. It's important to the story to have Jenny in it so while I will miss Laura a lot, I'm excited they recast it and can't wait to see what Kristin Atherton will do

to make it her own," while another added: "This is so exciting. We can now speculate about the storylines to come. So happy that Jenny has been recast."

Kristin isn't the only new addition to the cast as Dune actress Gloria Obianyo, The Last Kingdom's Rod Hallett and Bridgerton star Chris Fulton will also be joining the series alongside Vikings actor Diarmaid Murtagh. 

Fans can expect to see some more returning faces too, as Steve Cree will reprise his role as Old Ian Murray, while Andrew Whipp, Layla Burns and Lotte Verbee will all return to play Brian Fraser, Joan MacKimmie and Geillis Duncan.