ABC Confirms: Katherine Heigl Is Leaving Grey's Anatomy

Actress won't be back to the series, cites desire to spend time with her family

By Kristin Dos Santos Mar 24, 2010 3:17 PMTags
Katherine Heigl Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Izzie Stevens is no more.

"I can confirm she's leaving Grey's Anatomy," a rep for ABC says of Katherine Heigl's status on the hit show.

Katherine's rep tells us the same. "I can confirm she is no longer on Grey's."

So why is she leaving? And will we ever see her again? Here's the scoop from Heigl herself, and what insiders tell me:

"I am done," Heigl tells EW's Michael Ausiello in this week's cover story. "We just finalized our agreement. 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."

And we have already seen the very last of Izzie Stevens.

ABC insiders confirm that although Heigl was slated to shoot five more episodes this season, her final episode on the series aired Jan. 21.

While multiple sources tell me Heigl had been asking out of her Grey's contract for about three years, Heigl says the reason she's leaving is to spend more time with her newly adopted daughter, Naleigh. "I started a family and it changed everything for me," Heigl says. "It changed my desire to work full-time." She refutes the notion that she wants to leave to shoot more movies.

Will you miss Heigl on Grey's? Or do you feel the show is going to go on just fine without her?

Does Katherine Heigl hate Lost or something? We're starting to have our suspicions as she breaks this news right after the best episode ever! Get the scoop you must know right here...