What Katherine Heigl Had To Say About Patrick Dempsey's Divorce
Just before Patrick Dempsey broke the world's heart by leaving his role as Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd on ABC's hit drama series "Grey's Anatomy," the actor had his own heart broken when his wife of 15 years Jillian Dempsey filed for divorce in 2015.
The couple first met at the salon where Jillian worked, when the famed actor walked in for a little sprucing. At the time, both Jillian and Patrick were in other relationships, so the duo continued on with regular hair appointments and lots of flirting, according to People. Once both single, the couple turned romantic and wed in 1999. The Dempseys welcomed three kids together: Tallula, Darby, and Sullivan.
"Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of," the actor revealed back in 2016. "I didn't feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That's where it started." The "Bridget Jones's Baby" star opened up about how "destabilizing" it was to "potentially" break up his family, so the star decided to leave "Grey's Anatomy" just months later. Although things eventually worked out for Patrick and Jillian, the star went through quite the trials and tribulations in order to save his marriage, and his former co-stars have something to say about it.
Katherine Heigl wishes Patrick Dempsey's divorce wasn't so public
Former "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Katherine Heigl got a bit emotional upon hearing the news her industry pal was headed for divorce back in 2016.
Speaking to Extra, the "27 Dresses" actor told the outlet she was "really sad" to hear about Patrick Dempsey's split from his wife. "I think it's always hard to have to go through something like that so publicly," the actor added. Heigl knew both Patrick and Jillian Dempsey after working with "McDreamy" for over five years on the set of "Grey's Anatomy," telling Extra they're "both really great people."
Meanwhile, Heigl herself could offer up some martial advice to the Dempseys, having married her husband Josh Kelley back in 2007. "I was so incredibly drawn to, attracted to this man from the get-go, from the moment I met him," the celeb gushed about her singer-songwriter hubby. "You just find this groove with each other." The "Knocked Up" star went on to have three children of her own with Kelley. "[Josh] is literally one of my favorite people in the world to hang out with," Heigl said. "I can never see myself falling out of love with him."
Patrick Dempsey says Grey's Anatomy took a toll his marriage
Lucky for Partick Dempsey and his wife Jillian Dempsey, the couple couldn't find themselves falling out of love either. The Dempseys reconciled just one year after Jillian filed for divorce from her movie-star husband. "I wasn't prepared to give up on her and she wasn't either," Patrick told People about how he saved his marriage. "We were both committed. We both wanted to fight." The "Made of Honor" star revealed how he had to take a step back from work to cater to his marriage. "I was coming out of a show that had been my identity for so many years, and Jill and I were transitioning," Patrick said. "It was really a time of introspection."
Meanwhile, a scathing report by The Hollywood Reporter painted a different reason Patrick was kicked off the medical drama. Executive producer James D. Parriott claimed "there were HR issues" when it came to McDreamy. "He was sort of terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him. He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people."
Sources from Patrick's camp deny the allegations, claiming he left after the work hours "took a huge toll on him," per OK! Magazine. "He was constantly working for years, and he says it's a shock Jillian didn't leave him sooner," the insider said. "Once he was off 'Grey's,' he was able to put the time into his relationship, and that saved his marriage."