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Ellen Pompeo has officially bid farewell to “Grey’s Anatomy” in an emotional note shared to Instagram.
On Thursday, the series lead, whose starred as Meredith Grey since the show’s 2005 premiere, took to social media to share that she’s “eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support” fans have shown her, “Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons!”
“Through it all….none of it …would have been possible without the best fans in the world,” she added alongside a selfie.
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Pompeo, 53, who previously announced her departure from the hit ABC show over the summer, went on to thank “the best fans in the world,” who made her experience “so fun and ICONIC.”
“I love you madly and appreciate you right back,” the actress continued. “This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster… you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit.”
Although Pompeo will no longer grace fans’ television screens as a cast member, the actress previously vowed to continue being a “part of the show”, plus, the way Meredith’s storyline left off in last week’s fall finale- her character decided to leave Seattle for Boston after accepting a new position to research Alzheimer’s disease with the Catherine Fox Foundation- leaves the door open for future guest appearances.
Following Pompeo’s heartfelt tribute to the show, series creator, Shonda Rhimes, also shared a sweet post about the actress.
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“What a wild ride these past 19 seasons have been. None of it could have been possible without the incomparable @ellenpompeo, the one and only Meredith Grey,” Rhimes captioned a series of photos of her and Pompeo on Instagram.
“In true #greysanatomy fashion…this isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see ya later!” she continued. “Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ellen, Meredith and Grey Sloan Memorial.”
Pompeo’s goodbye post comes as the actress prepares for her final episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy”, which returns Feb. 23 on ABC.
