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Grey’s Anatomy has developed many romantic relationships between the surgeons at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. One of the long-running show’s most talked-about couples was Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). Ramirez eventually left Grey’s in May 2016, and Grey’s released Capshaw’s final episode in May 2018. 

o You Believe In Magic" - The doctors reach out to Bailey but she continues to shut everyone out; after an incident with Ethan's grandmother, Owen fears the child could end up in foster care; and a new craniofacial specialist (Hilarie Burton) arrives at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to work on a young patient; meanwhile, a magician's assistant is rushed into the ER after a magic trick goes terribly wrong, on "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, MAY 2 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network.
Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins and Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres|Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television

Sara Ramirez thought of the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ fans when she learned Callie and Arizona were divorcing

Callie and Arizona’s love affair started in season 5 of Grey’s. At the time, Callie divorced her husband, George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), after cheating on her with Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl). After they shared a kiss at a bar, their romance began to bloom. The pair soon faced several ups and downs in their relationship. Some of the hardships included Arizona leaving Callie for Africa in season 6. They also dealt with Callie unexpectedly getting pregnant by Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) in season 7.

By season 8, Grey’s fans hoped Callie and Arizona were happy for good. However, their relationship suffered when Arizona lost one of her legs during a plane crash. In season 9, Arizona cheated on Callie, and the couple separated. Although they attempted to get back together, a therapy exercise they considered splitting up for good in season 11. In the episode, Callie and Arizona’s therapist instructed them to spend 30 days apart to work on themselves. At the end of the 30 days, Callie decided to end the marriage. 

Ramirez told The Hollywood Reporter that she knew the episode would be hard for Grey’s fans who adored Callie and Arizona’s marriage. 

“I wondered how fans would receive it but I had to let go of that concern,” Ramirez said.  “Having played the relationship for so many years, I knew it was a really big deal, and the challenge of the emotional workload of that episode terrified me.” 

Sara Ramirez said Callie became ‘more connected to who she is’ after leaving Arizona on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 

Both Capshaw and Ramirez admitted they knew the split between Callie and Arizona was looming. Before the breakup, Callie took care of Arizona as she recovered from the plane crash. Ramirez said Callie prioritized herself during the separation. In the episode, Callie was profusely against the couple’s separation.

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“She’s [Callie] pretty much resistant the whole time, while at the same time having a glimpse into her professional life at work without the drama of trying to fix her relationship,” Ramirez shared. “As the therapy sessions move on, Callie starts to see that her life outside of the relationship is so full and that the drama is trying to fix what’s wrong with this relationship. Unbeknownst to her, Callie ends up realizing that when she’s not trying to fix this relationship, she’s finding herself more connected to who she is.”

Ramirez also noted that the separation caused Callie to “find herself again” after making her life about Arizona for multiple years. 

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