Ellen Pompeo admitted NSFW scenes on screen were ‘really hard’ for her husband

Getting to kiss good-looking actors might seem like the dream job, but for the husbands and wives sitting at home, it can be an awkward time.

Imagine how you'd feel seeing your other half making out with one of the most desirable people in Hollywood?

Grey's Anatomy is renowned for being highly-charged with emotion and there are many romances throughout the 21-season show too.

Actor Ellen Pompeo - who turns 55 on 10 November - played lead character Meredith Grey in 19 seasons of the medical drama and she is married - in real life - to Chris Ivery.

The pair met in 2003, tied the knot in 2007 and have welcomed three children together - while also managing to keep their relationship relatively private.

Pompeo's character had a number of love interests during her time on the show, including Derek Shepherd (played by Patrick Dempsey), Andrew Deluca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman).

The pair have been married since 2007 (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Though back in 2019, Ivery told US Weekly: "There was a time back in the day that I watched it a lot, but then I didn’t know if she had a lover.

"I would say I’m not jealous; I’m really confident, but it’s awkward. She’s acting but now she’s got this new lover, which I know him, Giacomo [Gianniotti]."

He added: "He’s a great guy. I actually like him.

"And to be honest, I haven’t watched those scenes because I feel like it can be awkward."

Despite this, Ivery emphasised that he's Pompeo's 'biggest fan'.

And during an appearance on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, Pompeo elaborated: “I remember in the beginning, it was really hard for him [Ivery].

"Poor guy had no idea what he was getting into. He was like, ‘This is not what I signed up for. You go to work and make out with that. I like Patrick [Dempsey] and everything, he’s a good dude… but, like, really?’”

Ellen Pompeo's character had a major storyline with Patrick Dempsey's (Instagram/@ellenpompeo)

Pompeo added: "He’s been in the music business for 25 years and he changed careers at 50. And he killed it. I mean, knocked it out of the park. It’s amazing! So for anybody who feels they’re stuck, you can change your career at any age."

The happy couple are parents to three children: Stella Luna, 15, Sienna May, nine, and Eli Christopher, six.

Fortunately, Ivery managed to put any awkwardness to one side, which is a good job as Pompeo has said she would love to work with Dempsey again.

In 2022, she told Extra TV: "We've done some of our greatest work together. Both of us are very proud of the work we did. We had a great time doing it, and we created something really iconic."

Pompeo noted: "I think the fans would absolutely love it."

What's more, Dempsey felt the same way, also telling Extra: "I'd love to work with her again. It's always been a really special relationship Ellen and I have had together in front of the screen and behind it as well."

"I think a lot of the success of the show was because of the chemistry and the relationship," he added. "People want to believe in love."