Jerrika Hinton's role on the hit medical drama series "Grey's Anatomy" has come to an end and the actress who played Stephanie Edwards couldn't be more thankful. Rumors about her departure started when the actress landed the lead role on Shondaland's comedy series "Toast." Unfortunately, the show did not last long, giving Hinton the opportunity to carefully evaluate and decide on what to do next.

According to the latest news, Hinton thanked "Grey's Anatomy" showrunner Shonda Rhimes for understanding and honoring her wish to leave the show. The decision was cemented after the actress booked a regular role in an upcoming Alan Ball drama on HBO. Hinton also confirmed that she had met with Rhimes during the beginning of Season 13 to discuss her plans to leave the show.

Interestingly, despite Hinton's fate in the previous season; getting burnt while trying to save a child, she lived and the defining moment of her departure came when she said she needed to explore more outside and not in the confines of the hospital.

The actress lauded Rhimes' storyline for her character saying, the natural conclusion perfectly fit her hopes of self-exploration.

Grey's Anatomy and its history of killing characters

For the most part, characters who left the show were given the ultimate exit; death. But unlike Jerrika Hinton, another prominent character who left the show remains alive in the show's storyline. Sara Ramirez's (Callie Torres) character remained intact and based on "Grey's Anatomy" Season 12's conclusion, she left for New York after her divorced with Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw).

Shonda Rhimes acknowledged Ramirez's wish to leave the show saying, she loved her and she wishes her the best. Surprisingly, her storyline is not planned based on her decision to leave, it's fortunate that it ended the way it had.

Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins have a daughter named Sophia and fans believe, it will be the connecting factor between the two.

Grey's Anatomy Season 14 update

A brand new season is all set for the medical drama coming this fall. According to the latest update, some of the storylines that will be highlighted include Owen and Amelia's relationship, Arizona Robbins' possibly losing Dr. Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominzyck) and the complicated love story of Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Nathan (Martin Henderson).

The unlikely pairing of Maggie (Kelly McCreary) and Jackson (Jesse James) drew comments from fans, but who knows it might just work for the two Grey's Seattle doctors?