Even though Kelli Giddish has since

returned to Law & Order: Special Victims

Unit, her exit still makes Mariska Hargitay emotional.

In an interview with Variety, Hargitay described

Giddish as “my favorite actor to work with” as she admitted that she didn’t have the sway to convince SVU’s creator, Dick Wolf, to keep Giddish, 44, on the show as Detective Amanda Rollins, despite now having more of a say on bigger decisions.

“It’s a sore subject,” Hargitay, 60, admitted. “I have a lot of say on the show, but I didn’t have enough there.”

Giddish departed the series after 12 seasons in 2022, and Hargitay said of her efforts to get her to stay: “I don’t like not being listened to, especially when I’m right. That relationship was one of the most powerful relationships in television because you saw these two badass women, so flawed and so there for each other.”

She added of the actress, who returned to SVU for the season 25 premiere, “Kelli is my heart.”