‘How I Met Your Mother’s’ Cobie Smulders talks surprising series finale: ‘They actually planned the ending during our pilot

Lily bet Marshall that Ted and Robin would not end up together.

Well, she needs to pay up.
The emotional series finale of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" aired Monday after a nine-year run and actress Cobie Smulders stopped by the "Late Show" with David Letterman to talk about the shocking final episode

"They had actually planned the ending during our pilot," Smulders, who plays Robin Scherbatsky, told the late night host. "They shot some scenes with the two children … who are now in their mid-20s."
Smulders said she feels "so incredibly grateful" to have been apart of the sitcom. Letterman congratulated her saying "Nine seasons in the world of television, that's an amazing accomplishment."
It turned out the 31-year-old brunette beauty's character played a huge part in how Ted Mosby's lengthy life story wrapped up

It took 17 years, Robin and Barney's divorce and Ted's wife Tracy's (played by Cristin Milioti) death for Josh Radnor's character to end up with the girl he loved from the beginning — Robin.
"It's kind of amazing that it's been nine years and it's come full circle," Smulders said of how writers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas decided to tie up the loose ends.
"This last episode … really wraps it all up," she continued
"We not only get to see (Ted and Tracy) meet each other for the first time, but also, we're jumping forward into the future so we get to see these characters and their relationships 20 years in the future and see what they ended up doing."
While some fans via social media expressed that they felt duped by the mother's death, others felt it was the perfect way to conclude the series as the protagonist, who spent many years looking for "the one," actually had two great loves of his life.
"Is that it? I don't buy it," Ted’s daughter said in the last scene after their dad finally told them "and that, kids, is how I met your mother" six years after Tracy passed away.
“You made us sit down and listen to the story about how you met mom? But mom is hardly in the story. No, this is a story about how you're totally in love with Aunt Robin, and you're thinking about asking her out and you want to know if we're OK with it."
Smulders also dished to Letterman during her Monday appearance about how the gang, including Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson), Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin) and Jason Segel (Marshall Eriksen) spent their last few weeks working together.
"We had our wrap party the Friday before our last week and then we had a little celebration last Friday which got a little bit sloppy,"she said with a laugh.