Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes 'broken' over 'hardest' death of beloved character

Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has confessed she's still "shook" over one of the show's most heartbreaking deaths.

Millions of fans have been sitting on the edge of their seats eagerly awaiting the premiere of the latest series.

The 22nd run of ABC's enduring medical drama, which also streams on Disney+ in the UK, finally made its comeback this past Thursday (9th October) to unveil the consequences of a catastrophic gas explosion at Grey Sloan Memorial.

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Fortunately, long-standing protagonist Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) emerged from the disaster without harm.

Nevertheless, viewers have been bracing themselves for some heartbreaking losses as the destinies of multiple staff members were left hanging in the balance during the series 21 finale earlier this year, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Be assured there will be no spoilers here, but it's certain that life at the hospital will never be quite the same again.

Meanwhile, the show's creator has been taking a sentimental journey back through some of the equally challenging moments from earlier episodes.

Chatting with Entertainment Weekly, she confessed the demise of T. R. Knight's George O'Malley was amongst the most difficult departures.

"[That] character is so beloved," Rhimes said. "And T.R. is such a lovely guy. That was such a hard thing to do."

During the time when Grey Sloan was initially known as the Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, George shocked his colleague doctors when he revealed his plans to abandon the medical field and join the Army to serve in the Iraq War.

However, before Meredith and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) had the chance to persuade him to reconsider his choice, he was hit by a bus whilst heroically trying to rescue a pedestrian.

He was officially pronounced dead in the opening instalment of series six after being rushed to Seattle Grace's A&E department with catastrophic injuries.

Viewers have mourned his loss ever since, although actor Knight made a brief return in a fantasy sequence during series 17.

Rhimes continued to remember: "T.R. was so amazing because he didn't need to lay on that table, but he was like, 'I'm gonna do the role, even though you're never gonna see my face'.

"He was wonderful. I mean, it broke me, so I knew that the audience would respond to it, but I really loved it."

Were you devastated by the latest instalment of Grey's Anatomy?

Grey’s Anatomy season 22 continues Thursdays on ABC and the following Friday on Disney+ in the UK.