Ellen Pompeo has said Alex Karev's exit from Grey's Anatomy was the "best sendoff".

In January, Justin Chambers announced he would be leaving the long-running medical drama after 15 years - with his final episode having aired already. And in Thursday night's episode, Grey's fans found out why Alex left Grey Sloan, as well as his loved ones, behind. Spoilers for the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy lie beyond this point.  It turns out that Alex left Seattle after reconnecting with his ex-wife Izzie Stevens, and finding out that she had had their children - five-year-old twins. The twist was met with a mixed reaction from fans, with some even saying that they thought it was worse than Patrick Dempsey's exit as Derek Shepherd. But Ellen Pompeo - who plays Meredith Grey - urged fans of the medical drama not to be sad over Karev's exit, noting that she felt it was "the best possible storyline" for him to leave on. "For me personally for Karev to go back to the beginning.... was the best possible storyline," she wrote, alongside a video which showed a number of throwback clips from the last fifteen seasons. "It pays homage to those incredible first years and the incredible cast ...that created a foundation so strong that the show is still standing. So let’s not be sad. As our fearless leader DA always says let’s PULL UP and celebrate the actors the writers and the fantastic crew who make this show come to life every week. "No matter what the challenge or how tired we all are in the end... you keep us going.....That is worth dancing it out over! So much love and gratitude to you all."