Katherine Heigl Leaving Grey’s Anatomy to Be With Her Family

March 24, 2010 by tiffanyb
Filed under: Celebrity Baby News

The rumors have proven to be true as Katherine Heigl confirms to Entertainment Weekly that she is leaving Grey’s Anatomy.

Katherine reveals that it has nothing to do with a busy acting career but she wants to be able to spend more time with her family. Last year Katherine and her husband Josh Kelley adopted a little girl, whom they named Naleigh.

The actress confirmed that she is in fact leaving 18 months before her contract is up. She says, “I am done. 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.”

Katherine says that her family was the reason for her leave. “I started a family and it changed everything for me,” says Katherine, who took a 3-month leave from Grey’s this season to bond with her newly-adopted daughter. “It changed my desire to work full-time.”

As for fans of Izzie, her last appearance was weeks ago and she will not be appearing anymore on the show even to finish this season. Katherine says, “I know I’m disappointing the fans. I just had to make a choice. I hope I made the right one.”

ABC Studios releases a statement saying, “By mutual agreement, Katherine Heigl has ended her successful run as Dr. Isobel Stevens. The studio wishes her well. Everyone at Grey’s Anatomy is now focused on delivering a shocking season finale and a great show for seasons to come.”