Ellen Pompeo hasn't spoken to Patrick Dempsey since he left Grey's Anatomy

Ellen Pompeo hasn't spoken to her former Grey's Anatomy co-star Patrick Dempsey since he left the TV series in 2015.

The Enchanted actor played Derek Shepherd, the boyfriend and then husband of Ellen's character Meredith Grey, for 11 seasons until he was killed off in 2015, leaving fans distraught.

Although they spent a lot of time together on the show, Ellen admitted during an appearance on Jada Pinkett Smith's Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk that she hasn't spoken to her former onscreen love interest since his departure.

When asked if they were still friends, she replied, "We haven't spoken since he's left the show... I have no hard feelings toward him, he's a wonderful actor, and we made, you know, the best TV you could make together. That's a talented man right there... He did 11 amazing years.

"Typically when people leave the show, they need to sort of re-find themselves, who they are, without the show, because the show takes up so much of your life. You need that time to figure out who you are without the show. So, we have not spoken but I will always have a place in my heart for Patrick."

During a chat with Entertainment Tonight in October (18), Patrick had nothing but praise for Ellen and the rest of his co-stars.

"That was a very special bond that just - there was a magic to our connection and that's special," he said. "It's amazing and it's continuing to affect so many people and to really be a strong part of so many people's lives. You're a part of television history. It's really remarkable."

The medical drama is currently in its 15th season. In late 2017, Ellen signed a new deal worth around $20 million (£15.8 million) to keep her on the show until the end of season 16 - making her the highest-paid actress in dramatic television.