Kristen Wiig on why she left "Saturday Night Live"

(CBS News) "SNL" fans were sad to see Kristen Wiig leave NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in May after seven years, but the comedienne/actress says it was time for her to go.

"I know a lot of people probably assume, 'Oh, she's leaving because she is going to be doing movies now and things like that,' which I will be. But I just always knew it was going to be seven and that was it," Wiig, 38, told Marie Claire magazine. "I think maybe if I were 22, I could see myself staying a little bit, but it just felt like the right time."

Despite that, Wiig said the last show "was very emotional. I just wanted to get through it without breaking down in every sketch. Because nothing says comedy like breaking down."

Over the years, Wiig has branched out into film industry. She co-wrote and starred in the hit comedy "Bridesmaids" and has appeared in several other movies, including "Friends with Kids" and "Knocked Up."

She has a series of films coming up too, including "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "Freezing People is Easy" with Paul Rudd and "The Comedian," to be directed by Sean Penn.

Life is good, says the former "SNL" star.

"I will say that I'm happier than I've ever been, and I feel very lucky," she told the magazine. When asked why she feels so lucky these days, Wiig said, "Where I am now. Who he is," in reference to her boyfriend, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti.

Wiig graces the cover of the August issue of Marie Claire, which  hits newsstands July 17.