<P> When Monk becomes a consulting detective, It is revealed in the novel Mr Monk is on Patrol, that one of the criteria that the SFPD had for employing Monk as a consultant was that he had to have Sharona with him, in case he has a breakdown . Sharona helps out, sometimes doing independent investigations and sometimes even using her sex appeal to get information that Monk cannot . She also does all kinds of things that Monk's OCD and phobias prevent him from doing as she has few such reservations herself . However, in the season 2 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to the Circus," Sharona is revealed to have a fear of elephants, due to seeing a girl falling into an elephant pit when she was seven years old . She takes up smoking after Monk reacts insensitively to her fear of elephants, telling her to "suck it up". </P> <P> Sharona drives a tan 1990 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon, which in "Mr. Monk and the 12th Man" is shown to have 100,000 miles . The counter says 99,999, prompting Monk to move the car forwards and backwards until the number is even while staking out Henry Small's house . </P> <P> She has' quit' her job as Monk's assistant at least twice; in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Candidate" and "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" (this was due to a pay dispute (her paychecks had bounced regularly); she temporarily got a job at a lamp store). Sharona's' quitting' became a running gag in the show, until she finally left in 2004 to remarry her ex-husband, Trevor Howe, following "Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine". This was because Bitty Schram quit the show over contract disputes . Subsequently, Traylor Howard was introduced as Natalie Teeger, Monk's new assistant, beginning in "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring". </P> <P> Sharona is mentioned again after her character left the show in "Mr. Monk Is On the Run (Part Two)", having sent flowers for the "deceased" Monk and flying in with Benjy to attend his funeral . </P>

Why did the character sharona leave the show monk
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