We’ve seen the last of Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens. Katherine Heigl confirms her departure from Grey’s Anatomy in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Grey’s creator Shonda Rhimes has granted Heigl her request to be let out of her contract 18 months early.
“I’m done,” Heigl tells EW in the magazine’s new cover story — on newsstands Friday. “We just finalized our agreement,” says the star, whose Jan. 21 appearance on Grey’s was her last. “Everyone had been working really hard to find an amicable and gracious way of letting go and moving on. It’s sad but it’s what I wanted.”
The 31-year-old has long been rumored to be searching for a way to check out of the role that won her an Emmy to instead concentrate on her film career. However, the new mom says she’s leaving the show for family reasons, opting to turn her focus to raising her young daughter Naleigh — who she adopted from Korea last year.
“I started a family and it changed everything for me. … It changed my desire to work full-time.”early.
What do you think of Heigl’s departure from Grey’s? Are you disappointed to see her go?