Katherine Heigl Done With ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Actress Will Not Return To Show, Says Producer

Katherine Heigl is reportedly done with Grey’s Anatomy, and Shonda Rhimes has returned to attack the hearts of fans of the popular medical drama. After rumors suggested that Katherine Heigl could return to the series after the hasty departure of her character, Rhimes has made it ??clear that she is done with Izzie Stevens, the fictional doctor portrayed by Heigl from 2005 to 2010.

When Rhimes was questioned on Katherine Heigl’s possible return to the show, Rhimes — the show’s creator, head writer, executive producer and showrunner — gave the following response.

“I’m done with that story. I’ve turned that idea over in my mind a thousand times and thought about how it would go. And I don’t think so.”

As reported by Hollywood Life, Heigl also recently rejected the idea of ??the return of her character, Izzie.

“There is not, I’m sorry,” Heigl told ET Online when asked if there was any truth to a possible return to the show.

Although Heigl dispelled rumors of a return, the actress did express gratitude for receiving such an opportunity.

“It’s been this incredible thing,” Heigl said. “It was just this incredible experience for me. It changed the course of my life and career and I couldn’t be more grateful. I just hope it goes for as long as they all want it to.”

Heigl joins the long list of characters who will not return to the series, either through death or abandonment. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) are some of the characters alongside Izzie Stevens whose departures have upset fans of the show.

Last May, Heigl had hinted during an interview that her character could return during the Season 12 premiere. However, it was during a Television Critics Association press conference that the producer set the record straight and confirmed that Heigl would not be returning.

As a previous report from the Inquisitr explained, Katherine Heigl, 36, exited the show after its sixth season when it was rumored that she was engaged in a tense business relationship with the show’s boss, Shonda Rhimes. Heigl quit the medical drama in the spring of 2010, following more than a year of press reports of disharmony on the Grey’s Anatomy set, the Indian Express wrote. Heigl reportedly issued an apology to Rhimes for such a controversial departure and later said that she wishes her former boss “nothing but greatness.”

The 12th season of Grey’s Anatomy is scheduled to air September 24 on ABC.

[Image via Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment]