Patrick Dempsey is leaving Grey’s Anatomy, reports CTV.

The actor, known as ‘McDreamy’ on the show, says the current season of the hit show will be “his last.”

The 45-year-old has played Dr. Derek Shepherd in the medical drama since 2005, acting both as an authoritative figure and love interest to Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo.

Dempsey says he has no plans to continue with the role once season eight ends, but does admit the end of his contract is “bittersweet.”

He told Italy’s ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine: “It’s gonna be my last. I do not know what’s going to happen to the other characters, but for me it’s done.”

“[Leaving will be] bittersweet because it’s been a great part of my life. But I can’t see me doing it anymore.”

Dempsey’s publicist, though, is denying the that the departure is sure thing.

The representative said in a statement: “He was referring to the fact that his contract is up at the end of next season and we have no idea what the future holds.”

Meanwhile, Pompeo has also revealed her contract will also end next season, and it is unlikely she will renew it. If both these characters leave the show, I have a feeling it will tank. Hardcore.

I know a lot of people who still watch it, and with the two main characters leaving, everyone will be pissed. It’s better to just end the show on a high note than slowly kill it.

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Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Izzie Stevens isn’t the only one who is MIA. According to People.com, Katherine Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie, hasn’t been seen at work. On the show, Dr. Izzie Stevens has been missing from Seattle Grace Hospital, and apparently the 31-year-old actress hasn’t shown up to set.

Heigl was scheduled to return to set on March 1, after her three months of maternity leave but “she was not there,” said a close source. There has been speculation of Heigl leaving the show for a while now, as there have been many reports of drama between her and Grey’s Anatomy. Everything from Heigl being called a diva, to her being unhappy with salary have all been issues dealt with. However, now it is being speculated that the actress is off the show for good to focus on her film career, even after six years.

ABC isn’t commenting, but Entertainment Weekly reported that Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creator, has agreed to release Heigl from her contact. It is now in the hands of ABC Studios and the star’s rep to sort it all out.

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President of ABC Entertainment Stephen McPherson called Grey’s Anatomy star  Katherine Heigl’s recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman “unfortunate,” says Perez Hilton.

“Our first day back was Wednesday,” Heigl told Letterman when she appeared on his show July 20, “And it was – I’m going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them – a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean.”

“I’m guessing if you’re working 17 hours, that means you’re not dead,” responded the host, attempting to reveal the fate of Heigl’s character, Izzie Stevens, who is currently battling cancer.

“What if, however, Dave, I was in a bed in a coma for 17 hours?,” replied the actress. “They could do that to me.”

“People are going to behave in the way they choose to behave,” McPherson commented about the incident. “There are so many people who work so hard on Grey’s, and all of our shows, without any notoriety, and those are the ones I’d be concerned about, people who feel like they’re being criticized or looked down upon.”

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We are not generally into the whole sci-fi thing but this show looks pretty good. It should be considering it’s the same team who came up with Grey’s Anatomy. Defying Gravity follows a group of eight young astronauts on a six year space mission. There is comedy, politics and some romance (leave it to Jordan to focus on sex, even when it’s in outer space). We sat down with Laura Harris who is one of the stars of Defying Gravity. Check out the show airing on CTV and ABC sunday evenings.

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Despite rumours that Katherine Heigl’s character Izzie Stevens will have a brain tumour in the upcoming season of “Grey’s Anatomy,” executive producer Shona Rhimes says the news is not true.

According to E! News, Rhimes says that although Izzie won’t undergo any personal medical crisis, “interesting sparks” will fly between Alex and Izzie – following their season finale hook-up.

But will other fan favourites Meredith and McDreamy finally settle down?

Not quite yet. “It’s really exciting to see what’s going to come next and how [Meredith's] going to deal with living with a boy, and all the things a man like Derek, who has been married and is a grown-up, might expect,” says Rhimes.

Rhimes continues to say that a new romance fans should keep their eyes on is Callie and Erica’s. “They are definitely on a journey, and it’s going to be a really interesting one…also both actresses are so game; they’re so willing to do something.”

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After her infamous speech about taking herself out of the running for this year’s Emmy race because she felt the writers failed to provide her with quality material, Katherine Hiegl might get the boot from the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

According to E! News, the ABC creator of the hit medical drama Shonda Rhimes is rumoured to have Heigl’s Dr. Isobel “Izzie” killed due to the remarks Heigl made about the upcoming Emmys.

“It’s not good there,” a source tells E! of the Grey’s Anatomy set. “Shonda is pissed. They’re thinking of killing her off. They want Izzie dead.”

A rep for Hiegl declined to comment, said the entertainment website.

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Actress Katherine Heigl has taken herself out of the running for this year’s 60th Annual Emmy Awards.

Heigl who plays Izzie, on the hit show “Grey’s Anatomy” said that she didn’t feel that her character got the kind of material that warranted an Emmy nomination.

Heigl won an Emmy last year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

“I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.” Said Heigl to the Los Angeles Times Gold Derby blog.

The nominations for this years Emmy’s will be announced June 17th.

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T.R. Knight is not getting married to his boyfriend of less than a year, Mark Cornelson, anytime soon.

Rumours of the couple’s possible nuptials arose soon after the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. Before the legalization, however, Knight did not even think of the possibility of getting married.

“It was never an option,” Knight told me last night at a gay marriage celebration in West Hollywood. “You realize more when something like [the Supreme Court decision] happens that you’ve been treated like second-class citizens. But it’s simply a matter of our rights and freedom.”

When asked about his fantasy wedding, Knight says he has nothing special planned.

“I haven’t been planning on it, so I don’t know,” Knight says. “I don’t have one of those books made up. I’m going to have to give that some thought.”

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Brooke Smith, who plays Dr. Erica Hahn on “Grey’s Anatomy”, has adopted a baby – according to People magazine.

Smith, 40, and her cinematographer husband Steven Lubensky have adopted a girl from Ethiopia. The couple has been married since 1999 and already have a five-year-old daughter named Fanny.

Back in October, Smith told the magazine that she and her husband were considering adoption. “You know, why not?” Smith said, adding that she and her husband have already traveled to Africa several times and filmed a documentary on conservationists in Zimbabwe. “We still might end up there some time,” she said.

Smith plays the head of cardiothoracic surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital on ABC’s hit show “Grey’s Anatomy,” and is also well-known for playing Catherine Martin in “Silence of the Lambs.”

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Disgraced actor Isaiah Washington has filed a complaint with the Screen Actors Guild after his picture was used in a recent episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Washington left the show last season after his famed explosion on the set, calling then-closeted co-star T.R. Knight a homophobic slur.

In the show, a newspaper article was shown in the May 9 episode revealing that Washington’s character had received a prestigious award. Unfortunately, it also used a photograph of the actor.

Washington’s attorney claims that ABC has “the rights of the character to advance the story, but not the image.”

Washington is pursuing a financial settlement.

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There will be a doctor in the house on Genie night: Sandra Oh.

The Canadian “Grey’s Anatomy” star will host the big show, it was announced yesterday. The March 3 ceremonies may bring back happy memories for Oh; she has previously won the best actress Genie for her work in “Last Night” and “Double Happiness.”

Following the end of the Writer’s Guild strike, Oh is currently back to work on the ABC hit “Grey’s Anatomy,” playing sassy doctor Christina Yang. With her other work including the comedy “Sideways,” Oh is sure to bring her signature sense of humour to her hosting duties.

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Meredith Grey is married.

Well, the fictional character is a long way away from tying the knot, but her alter ego, actress Ellen Pompeo, was indeed married last week.

Pompeo is now wife to music executive Chris Ivery at New York’s City Hall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was their witness.

Following their engagemnent last year after her birthday, the couple insisted their nuptials would be low key.

As for the honeymoon, Pompeo and hubby were seen at a Knicks game on Sunday night.

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GREY’S ANATOMY star KATHERINE HEIGL has slammed co-star ISAIAH WASHINGTON for using a homophobic slur at the Golden Globes on Monday night.

The actor tried to set the record straight regarding reports in October he got into a scuffle with PATRICK DEMPSEY after Washington allegedly used a homophobic slur toward their co-star TR KNIGHT.

After a reporter questioned him on the validity of the on-set incident, Washington denied his involvement saying, “No, I did not call TR Knight a faggot. Never happened, never happened.”

Heigl told ACCESS HOLLYWOOD reporter SHAUN ROBINSON that she disapproved of his use of the slur when referring to the incident saying, “I’m not okay with it.

“I’m going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period. I’m sorry, that did not need to be said. I just find it hurtful.

“I just feel like this is something that should be very much in house we need to deal with and it’s among us and the cast and crew and among SHONDA (RIMES, the show’s creator) and the producers.”

Washington immediately tried to defend himself after making the comments, insisting he and Dempsey have moved beyond the incident.

He adds, “I kiss Patrick Dempsey. We purposely sing EBONY AND IVORY every night since October 9 and nobody has written about it.”

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Grey’s Anatomy actors Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey got in a tussle on set Monday, causing a halt in production while the two TV doctors cooled off in separate spaces, E! Online reports.

A source told E! that Washington was on set prepared to shoot but was angered his fellow cast mates were slacking. He reportedly made a nasty remark to T.R. Knight and Dempsey stepped in on Knight’s behalf.

The New York Daily News says Washington then grabbed Dempsey by the throat and shoved him, though Washington told People on Wednesday that no punches were thrown.

“There was an argument on set,” Dempsey’s representative said. “In any close-knit family, sometimes people argue. But everybody made up and went back to work.”

“Differences are inevitable,” Washington’s publicist also said to E! “They were aired, resolved, and everyone has moved on.”

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“Grey’s Anatomy” beat out “CSI” in a match of TV drama titans last night as the two shows went head-to-head for the first time.

The season premiere of ABC’s hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” came out on top with 25 million viewers overall in its first foray into primetime Thursdays. That’s three million more viewers than what CBS crime show “CSI” managed to pull in with its season premiere episode, which featured a musical appearance by Grammy winner John Mayer.

“Grey’s Anatomy” also won the No. 1 rating among adults aged 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The show has grown tremendously in popularity since it debuted last year, and now boasts an additional six million viewers.

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