'Grey's Anatomy' Season 12 News: Ellen Pompeo Misses Patrick Dempsey

The hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" started in 2005, and since then, Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey have been working alongside each other for 11 seasons. It has been 10 years since the two actors started playing the roles of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd, respectively, and Pompeo admitted that it's been hard losing Dempsey, after the latter's character died in season 11.

During her last interview with Entertainment Weekly with the other stars from Shondaland, the 46-year-old actress said that it has been a difficult year for her on "Grey's Anatomy" without Dempsey. "Losing Patrick was huge," she said.

It's also been difficult for most of the fans after losing Doctor McDreamy, but Pompeo assured that "Grey's Anatomy" still has a lot in store in 2016. "I'm super excited for the fans to see [episode 1209, directed by Denzel Washington]. It's for sure the [best] thing I've ever done on the show. We've never had anybody of his caliber come and direct our show ever. His charisma, he changes the energy in the room completely. Everybody is just at the top of their game," the actress teased. The show is currently in its midseason break, and won't be back until next year.

Meanwhile, a new cast will join the show, and it will be "The Young and the Restless" star Scott Elrod. The soap opera star is said to be playing either an intern or a doctor at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, according to Design & Trend. However, this will not be the actor's first time in a Shondaland series set since the website said that he previously guest starred on "How to Get Away With Murder" The date of Elrod's appearance on "Grey's Anatomy" is not announced yet, and fans can't wait to see the soap opera veteran on a primetime series.

"Grey's Anatomy" season 12 will be back Feb. 11 next year on ABC.