He has won a burgeoning female fanbase for his portrayal of Grey's Anatomy heartthrob McSteamy. But sadly for fans, Eric Dane has quit the show after an eight season stint as Dr Mark Sloan.

Unlike Katherine Heigl's acrimonious departure from the programme, there was plenty of affection displayed when the 39-year-old's move was announced. Eric said: 'I am extremely grateful to everyone at Grey’s, ABC and Shondaland for the experience and memories I have had over the course of this run. 'It has been wonderful to work alongside and learn from a creative force such as (executive producer) Shonda Rhimes.' And the love-in continued when the show's creator also paid tribute to one of her favourite stars, which leaves the door ajar for a return if his future plans do not work out. Shonda said: '(McSteamy is) one of the most beloved characters on Grey’s Anatomy. 'He did not come to this decision lightly, but after much consideration and conversations, he and I decided that this is the right time for his storyline to end. 'We’re a big family here at Grey’s with a long history together and Eric will always remain an important part of our family. 'I wish him the best and I look forward to watching him as he continues to steam up the big and small.'

Eric first appeared as a guest star in season two, but strong audience reaction saw him become a regular from the following series onward. His parting of the ways is a far cry from Heigl's departure from the show that made her name in 2010.

The actress left her contract early after reports of absence and tardiness, while she refused to be put forward for an Emmy in 2008, complaining about the standard of the material she was given. When she left Katherine claimed she left the show to concentrate on her family, although she went on to appear in a string of movies. The actress recently mooted the idea of returning to the hit programme following a series of humiliating big screen flops. She said: 'I would be thrilled if they asked. I think it would be just so wonderful to have the opportunity to just sort of round out the character.' However Shonda soon shot down the idea, saying: 'We are on a track we have been planning, and the idea of changing that track is not something we are interested in right now.'

滬江娛樂快訊：在《實(shí)習(xí)醫(yī)生格蕾》中扮演Mark Sloan醫(yī)生的男星Eric Dane將退出該劇。他的故事線將在第九季結(jié)束。Eric對此表示說：“我很感謝《格蕾》劇組的每一個(gè)人，以及ABC臺(tái)和制作公司。在出演這部劇的過程中我獲得了很多經(jīng)驗(yàn)，并留下了許多美好的回憶?！?/p>

該劇創(chuàng)作者Shonda Rhimes說Mark是她最愛的角色之一：“Eric這個(gè)決定不是那么輕易就做出的，經(jīng)過了很多的考慮和交流，我們最終決定是時(shí)候結(jié)束Mark這條線了?！睘榱颂钛a(bǔ)退出演員們的空缺，女星Gaius Charles和Camilla Luddington已經(jīng)作為輪換角色加入了劇組。

《實(shí)習(xí)醫(yī)生格蕾》將于9月27日周四晚九點(diǎn)回歸。