Grey’s Anatomy: Why did Lexie Grey actress Chyler Leigh leave Grey’s Anatomy?
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Grey’s Anatomy’s 16th series had to be cut short as the ABC medical drama wasn’t able to finish before the worldwide lockdown. This meant that an explosion which featured in the finale of crossover series Station 19 was not featured in Grey’s Anatomy. The original storyline which was intended for the drama will now be altered for series 18.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Grey’s Anatomy.
Lexie Grey (played by Chyler Leigh) was introduced on Grey’s Anatomy as the half-sister of Dr Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
She had moved to Seattle and became an intern at what was then known as the Seattle Grace Hospital.
Leigh first appeared in season three but became a regular in the following series.
She started having a relationship with her boss Dr Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) with ongoing drama for the next four seasons until they both left.
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The pair were on a flight travelling for an emergency surgery in the season eight finale when the plane crashed.
Dr Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) tried to save Lexie who had suffered serious injuries but it was too late and she died in Mark’s arms.
He too also succumbed to his wounds and died a day later.
In their memory, the hospital was renamed to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital which it remains to this day.
Why did Lexi Grey actress Chyler Leigh leave Grey’s Anatomy?
While some actors don’t get to choose when they leave, actress Leigh did as it was her decision to make her exit.
At the time, Leigh told TV Line: “Earlier this year, I made the decision that Season eight would be my last on Grey’s Anatomy.
“I met with Shonda and we worked together to give Lexie’s story appropriate closure.
“I am very lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for five seasons.
“My experience on “Grey’s Anatomy” is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
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Leigh added: “I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans.
“Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey.”
Since speaking out, Leigh has not further explained why she opted to leave Grey’s Anatomy behind.
But it could have been because she wanted to spend more time with her family as this was the reason creator Shonda Rhimes agreed to extend Leigh’s summer hiatus from the show just before her character was killed off.
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Following the finale, Rhimes took to Twitter to express how she was feeling about Leigh’s exit as well as actress Kim Raver who also left the series at the time before returning in season four.
Rhimes said: “This finale was incredibly hard to write. I did not enjoy it.
“It made me sick and it made me sad. We end the season not knowing ANYTHING about the future.
“Except for two things. We know we are definitely saying goodbye to two of my favorite people: Chyler Leigh (Lexie) and Kim Raver (Teddy).”
Grey’s Anatomy is available to watch on ABC.
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