Sandra Oh leaving ABC’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Sandra Oh has said that she is leaving ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The actress has played Cristina Yang since the show premiered in 2005, but has said that she is ready to move on.

“Creatively, I really feel like I gave it my all, and I feel ready to let her go,” Oh said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter today. “It's such an interesting thing to play a character for so long and to actually get the sense that she wants to be let go as well. [Cristina] wants to be let go, and I am ready to let her go. We have to start the process, story-wise, for the Grey's writers to think of why she's going to go.”

In a statement to TheWrap, show creator Shonda Rhimes promised fans that Oh’s character will get “the exit she deserves” and praised Oh’s performance over the years.

“This year is going to be bittersweet for us -- we're both going to savor every moment of Cristina Yang and then we're going to give her the exit she deserves,” Rhimes stated. “And when Sandra walks out of my door, Grey's Anatomy will be once again be forever changed.”

Grey’s has been an anchor in the ABC line-up on Thursdays and will be returning in the fall. The remaining original castmembers are Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson. THR notes that their two-year contracts all end after season 10.

You can check out our list of Cristina Yang’s most memorable moments here.