Grey's Anatomy star reveals 'brutal' firing after fans have begged for explanation on exit for years

A star of Grey's Anatomy has opened up about why she left the long-running show.

Sarah Drew first appeared in the hit medical drama back in 2009 when she took on the role of Dr April Kepner.

Grey's Anatomy first started back in 2005, and has now been on our screens for over 20 years, now being renewed for its 22nd season.

It follows resident doctors and nurses at Mercy West Hospital, and has seen a lot of changes over the years that it's been broadcast.

Sarah, 45, would go on to be a regular and fan favourite on the show for years.

But in 2018 during the show's 14th season, Sarah and her co-star Jessica Capshaw suddenly left the show, leaving fans bewildered.

Sarah Drew left Grey's Anatomy in 2018 (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Hallmark Media)

Now, Sarah has opened up about what happened surrounding her sudden departure from Grey's Anatomy.

Sarah appeared on the Women In The Nude podcast, and revealed how she experienced her departure from the show to host Sasha Pieterse.

She revealed that she had not expected to be let go at all, and that it 'came out of nowhere'.

"It was pretty brutal because it came out of nowhere... absolutely no idea," she said.

Sarah went on to say that during the meeting about her departure she repeatedly asked why she was being written out of the show, saying she asked 'why' around 19 times.

In response, Sarah said she was told that they had 'run out of stories to tell'.

But while her departure from the show was very sudden, Sarah tried to see the positive side, and said that she had loved her time on the show.

Sarah opened up about her departure from the show (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for The American Heart Association)

"What I’ve come to realise is my nine years on the show was amazing and I never would have left if they hadn’t have written me off," she said.

She went on to explain that although it was a very difficult moment for her, she was left deeply moved by all the support that she received both from her fellow cast and crew members, and from fans of the show.

"It was such a weird dichotomy because it hurt a lot in the moment but then the outpouring of love was so unbelievable and extraordinary from cast and crew," she told the podcast.

"That was so exactly what I needed for that full circle closure. It was healing."

Shortly after her departure, Sarah was also nominated for an Emmy for the Grey's Anatomy short form series B-Team.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, she said: “The nomination after the fact made me go, ‘I don’t need to be worried about anything or have my confidence shaken'."