Ellen Pompeo Admits She Stays on 'Grey's Anatomy' Because of Her Age
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The Meredith Grey depicter explains why she continues to be on the medical drama show after more than a decade, 'I try to ride it out for as long as I could.'

AceShowbiz - Ellen Pompeo won't be leaving "Grey's Anatomy" anytime soon. The Meredith Grey depicter explains the reason behind her decision to stay on the Shonda Rhimes medical drama series. "My decision to stay on Grey's was based solely on age," she admits.

"At 33, I was wise enough to know my clock was already ticking in Hollywood," the 46-year-old actress tells PEOPLE, adding that she "was definitely aware of how challenging it would be to find other roles in my late 30s and early 40s."

"I thought, 'Why would I leave something that is super successful and pays me great to search the landscape?' I decided that I would stay on Grey's and be grateful and try to ride it out for as long as I could," she continues. "And I am very happy that I made the decision to stay. It's only gotten better with time."

However, "watching myself age on TV is miserable. To be honest, it's the toughest part of my job. But as uncomfortable as watching myself age is, I don't think focusing on physical beauty is necessarily the best thing for your mind. It's a natural thing that we all do, but I don't think it's the healthiest thing," she says. "The older you get, the more you realize life isn't about your looks. Everyone ages, and it's OK."

"I think when you're in your 20s and 30s, you're super obsessed with your looks because you don't have any other wisdom," the actress explains. "I have the wisdom to know that growing old is a privilege that not everyone is afforded. If my physical beauty is the only thing that leaves me and my health and my family stay, then that is what's really important to me."

"For me, personally, I don't do Botox or anything like that," she says. "It can't be what's on the outside; it's gotta be what's on the inside."

Pompeo also denies eating disorder rumors. "I used to get a lot of criticism for how thin I was, and I didn't have a lot confidence because of it. But I was naturally thin," she says. "I always thought it was irresponsible of the media to portray me as someone with an eating disorder because if some girls look up to me and think that's what you have to do to look like me, it's a horrifying concept. I listened to the criticism a little too much - and this was pre-social media. It's even crazier to think what women have to deal with now."

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