Ellen Pompeo 'excited' to move on

We know fans are upset. A petition is up and ready for signing to bring McDreamy back.

And we know Patrick Dempsey welled up when he talked about his character Dr. Derek Shepherd's exit on Grey's Anatomy. Particularly when it came to the "beautiful chemistry" he had with his TV wife, Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo.

Now, Pompeo is finally offering her thoughts about the exit of her TV hubby.

She says she knows that many people must get up each day after suffering "tremendous loss and tragedy."

For those people, she says, "I am honored and excited to tell the story of how Meredith goes on in the face of what feels like the impossible. I hope you all will join me on her journey."

Remember, there's a two-hour Grey's Anatomy slated to air this week, Thursday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.