Ellen Pompeo has shared a heartfelt message with fans and confirmed that she is leaving Grey's Anatomy after 19 seasons.
Taking to Instagram, the mom-of-three thanked fans for their support but the time had come for her to depart.
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Alongside a beautiful selfie, Ellen wrote: "I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons! Through it all….none of it …would have been possible without the best fans in the world. You all are RIDERS and you all have made the ride so fun and ICONIC."
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She continued: "I love you madly and appreciate you right back. This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster… you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit. With a lot of love and immense gratitude XoE."
Fans rushed to say how devasted they were that she was leaving the medical drama, but wished her well for her future.
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The news comes after the star stepped out solo in New York while her husband, Chris Avery, was photographed in Los Angeles, where they live with their three children.
© Photo: Getty ImagesEllen has announced she will be leaving Grey's Anatomy
They are proud parents to their son Eli Christopher, and daughters Sienna May and Stella Luna.
Ellen met Chris in a grocery store in Los Angeles in 2003. They were friends before it blossomed into something more and they got married in 2007, with the New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg as the legal witness to the ceremony.
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The actress hid her first pregnancy for a long time until it became obvious and so she took time away from the spotlight to focus on her family.
© Photo: Getty ImagesEllen stepped out in New York ahead of her announcement
After the birth of their second daughter, Sienna, she revealed she had used a surrogate.
Ellen spoke to InStyle about parenting and confessed: "I make a lot of mistakes. You just learn."
She added: "Kids are just so open and honest, and you could get down on yourself a lot as a parent, like 'Oh I'm not there enough.' Ellen and Chris welcomed their middle child via surrogate.
"It's easier to beat yourself up and feel guilty. But you can't adopt a sort of victim's attitude. You have to adopt an optimistic, can do, 'how do I fix it?' attitude with kids."
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