https://www.tvguide.com/news/greys-anatomy-krista-vernoff-meredith-derek-shepherd-deluca/

"For me, that is not even a valid debate," showrunner Krista Vernoff says of Ellen Pompeo and Giacomo Gianniotti's characters. "I am shocked that anyone could simultaneously love a character and wish that she remain without romantic love for the rest of her life no matter how long her life is. That seems like a cruelty. And it seems like a cruelty rooted in reverence for her first love and I don't relate to it. I don't understand it. The idea that anyone could root for her to live a loveless life after being widowed at such a young age is crazy to me."