Dempsey moving on from Grey’s Anatomy

Patrick Dempsey is leaving Grey’s Anatomy after starring in the show for a decade.

The 49-year-old actor has portrayed Dr. Derek ‘McDreamy’ Shepherd on the hit TV medical drama since its inception in 2005.

And Patrick’s character will meet his demise on the Thursday April 23 season 11 episode, which is entitled How to Save a Life.

“Things happened very quickly, where we were like, ‘Oh this is where it’s going to go’,” he told Entertainment Weekly on how he reacted to his persona being written out of the show. “It just sort of unfolded in a very organic way. I don’t remember the date. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. It happened very quickly.”

Patrick claims he wasn’t too surprised by his departure from the programme.

“It was just a natural progression with the way the story was unfolding. It was like, Okay! This was obviously the right time,” he noted.

Earlier this week Page Six reported Patrick was “suspended” from Grey’s Anatomy by series creator Shonda Rhimes due to his increasingly “diva” antics.

But Shonda released a statement clarifying just how much she values Patrick and all his work in light of the shocking news.

“Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character — for Meredith, for me and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our ‘McDreamy,” she wrote in a statement released to Just Jared. “Patrick Dempsey‘s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example — happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true — of what young women should demand from modern love.

“His loss will be felt by all. Now, Meredith and the entire Grey’s Anatomy family are about to enter uncharted territory as we head into this new chapter of her life. The possibilities for what may come are endless. As Ellis Grey would say: the carousel never stops turning.”