On the show, the actors are always in one relationship turmoil or the other, but, in real life, all of them are happily married and have a great thing going with their spouses.
Guessing game
Chyler Leigh, who plays Lexie, Meredith’s younger sister, is perennially unlucky in love in the show. But the actor has been with her husband Nathan West for over 10 years now. The couple, who met on the sets of another TV show, aptly labelled 7th Heaven, tied the knot in 2002 when the actor was only 20 years old. The parents of three children, the pair have a unique way of deciding their babies’ names — whoever guesses the sex of the baby before birth, gets to choose the name.
The Good Guy
Alex Karev, the resident ‘bad boy’ of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, has been called many things in the series over the years due to his attitude towards women — Dr Evil Spawn and frat boy being the more popular ones. But in real life, Justin Chambers insists he could not possibly be farther away from his character. The former Calvin Klein model has been married to Keisha Chambers (a former modelling consultant) since 1993 and the couple has five kids. This year, the actor, who keeps away from the tabloids, has been actively campaigning to find a donor match for Seun Adebiyi, a Yale law student, diagnosed with Leukemia. Dr Evil, he ain’t.
Grey Area
Ellen Pompeo’s character, Meredith Grey, may have met her match, Dr Mc- Dreamy, in a bar, but in real life it was a more domestic setting — a grocery store. Pompeo, who has been with husband Chris Ivery since 2003, and married since 2008, says that Ivery does not feel uncomfortable or jealous watching her making out with other men on the show. Pompeo, who welcomed her daughter Stella in 2009, says that balance is the secret to her relationship. “You have to make the time for your relationship, make sure you give your husband attention. And I still see my friends all the time, too. It’s important to have a well-rounded life,” she offers.
The Mane Attraction
Women can’t stop gushing about Dr Derek Sheperd, aka Dr McDreamy, the neurosurgeon at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital. That said, Patrick Dempsey is a devoted spouse to Jillian, his wife of 11 years, and a father of three. He splits his time between the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ set and professionally racing cars. Dempsey, who earns $250,000 per episode, has also become a leading man on the big screen with flicks like ‘Valentine’s Day’ and ‘Enchanted’. He will be seen in ‘Transformers 3’, in 2011.
Sex, Lies and Videotapes
Eric Dane, who plays playboy and plastic surgeon Dr Mark Sloan in the series, and his wife of six years, actor Rebecca Gayheart, have made the news for all the wrong reasons. In 2009, a tape was leaked in which the actor and his wife, along with former Miss Teen USA contestant, Kari Ann Peniche, were involved in substance abuse.
Months later, a pregnant Gayheart was pictured with a cigarette. But the couple has weathered all controversies, introducing their daughter, Billie Beatrice Dane, to the world this year. Dane now insists he has left his bad habits behind, to be a better father. “I like to think of myself as an artist, but now I’m working for my kid. Now I’m a father,” says the proud papa.