By Katie Palmer

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Grey’s Anatomy season 22 is rapidly approaching and following the potentially devastating explosion at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, viewers are eagerly awaiting news of who made it through alive. While Ellen Pompeo returns as Meredith Grey alongside the core cast, numerous beloved characters have departed the series throughout its lengthy run. Chris O’Donnell portrayed Dr Finn “McVet” Dandridge across nine episodes of the hit medical series, appearing during seasons two and three. The veterinarian and former romantic interest of Meredith Grey remains firmly planted in the minds of devoted viewers. O’Donnell, 55, became part of the ensemble in 2006 with his character caught up in a romantic triangle involving Meredith and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), reports the Express US . He vied with Derek for Meredith’s affections and eventually lost out to Derek, prompting Finn to caution her: “He’ll break your heart again, Meredith, and when he does, I won’t be here.” Regarding his departure from the programme, the actor explained to TV Guide that whilst he appreciated being involved with the show, he was never central to the main narrative. He commented: “It’s a great show. They’re having wonderful success, and I was really grateful to be a part of it. “My stuff was in and out. I was not part of their ongoing crew that had any kind of drama there. My experience was fantastic.” He continues to acknowledge the series as a launching pad that secured him several major roles. Soon after Grey’s Anatomy, he secured a part in TV miniseries The Company, before landing a starring role in NCIS: Los Angeles. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he revealed: “It was always supposed to be an in and out thing. They kept asking me to stay for some more episodes. “At a certain point they wanted me to stay even longer, but having been in the business long enough I knew it was never going to be my show. “I was going to be so far down the totem pole. TV can be a great business but you need to participate in it. From a business standpoint, it wasn’t going to be a success for me. “But what it did for me was incredible. It gave me an enormous boost.” Grey’s Anatomy season 22 is set to debut in the US on October 9 on ABC, and will be broadcast in the UK and internationally from October 10 on Disney Plus.