Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has theory about why he was really ‘fired’ from show

Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane has a theory about why he was really ‘fired’ from the show after playing ‘McSteamy’ Dr Mark Sloan for six years as a regular cast member.

Dane, 51, first joined the long-running medical drama in 2006, with his character making a controversial arrival on the scene... being the man who helped end Derek’s marriage by sleeping with his wife Addison.

Over the years, his playboy ways softened and Mark eventually fell for Meredith’s little sister Lexie.

However, their romance was to be cut short by tragedy after they were involved in a major aviation accident while on the way to perform surgery on conjoined twins in the dramatic season eight finale.

While Lexie was killed by debris, Mark was placed on life support due to the extensive injuries he sustained.

The ninth series subsequently saw him reappear in flashbacks, but his machine is turned off - as per his own wishes - after 30 days.

Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey. (ABC)

While his character’s time on the show came to a natural (albeit pretty devastating) end, Dane believes there may have been a key reason behind his premature departure.

Last month, the actor opened up about why he was written out of the beloved TV programme during an interview on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard.

Dane discussed 'struggling' with both drugs and alcohol addiction, saying that, while he was not 'fired' due to that directly, 'it definitely didn’t help'.

He continued to theorise if he was let go due to being 'too expensive', adding: "I was starting to become - as most of these actors who have spent significant time on the show - you start to become very expensive for the network.

"And the network knows that the show is going to do what it’s going to do irrespective of who they keep on it - as long as they have their Grey they were fine."

While praising his show's producer Shonda Rhimes for having his back despite the departure from the series, Dane claimed: "I was probably fired.

"It wasn’t ceremoniously like, 'You’re fired', it was just like, 'You’re not coming back'."

He has a theory about why he was really ‘fired’ from the show. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

In another interview with Fox News Digital, Dane recently said he holds no bad feelings to the show for 'firing' him amidst his addiction issues.

"Sometimes you just hang on and understand that this too shall pass," he said.

"I never expected life - no matter what your circumstances are - to be easy all the time."

Dane continued: "So I think understanding that not everything is going to be a walk in the park has certainly prepared me to put myself in the best position to weather some of the down times.

"They come fast and furious, and a lot of the times all you can do is just hang on and know that it's going to pass.

"And I no longer use substances and alcohol and things of that nature to deal with any of that stuff, good or bad."

Dane added: "It's not celebratory, and it's not something I pick up when … things aren't great. And the only way out is through."