Grey's Anatomy fans were shocked when Katherine Heigl first announced her departure from the show she'd starred on for six years. Many viewers thought the actress -- who stars opposite Ashton Kutcher in the new action-comedy Killers (out in theaters June 4) -- left the small screen to focus on her growing film career. But 31-year-old Heigl tells iVillage exclusively her main motive was to focus on her relationship with her 18-month-old adoptive daughter, Naleigh.
"I really wanted to see it through," Heigl says of the hit show. "But I'll forever be grateful, no matter how hard that decision was, that I made it because I've had this unbelievable time with my daughter."
The new mom, who married singer Josh Kelley in 2007, says she and her husband knew they were ready to be parents before adopting Naleigh. "We just thought, 'It's time to make our lives bigger than just the two of us,'" she says. "We needed to expand our hearts and our love and make life more important."
You can watch a video of the interview here
