Patrick Dempsey Turns 57: He Is All Smiles with Family after Saving His 23-Year Marriage

• Patrick Dempsey turns 57!

• The actor found happiness again with his wife of 23 years and their three children.

On January 13, 2022, Patrick Dempsey celebrated his 57th birthday with his family! During a 2008 interview, he confessed that he loved having a big family and explained that, for some reason, it was easier for him to have three children instead of one.

The "Grey's Anatomy" alum and his wife, Jillian Fink, became first-time parents in 2002 when their daughter, Talula Fyfe, was born. The couple grew their family again a few years later when they welcomed their twin sons, Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen.

Patrick believed having many children had been great for his relationship with his wife, their lives, and everything. He revealed that his children had improved his life in various ways.

As his children grew older, the star said he was proud to watch them grow up; however, he did admit that the questions they asked had become difficult to respond to! The actor was constantly surprised by his children's observations and insight.

He found it fun and fascinating to come up with answers to their many questions. Besides the challenging questions, at one point, Patrick's marriage almost came to an end, but he wasn't willing to see his family separated by divorce.

How Did Patrick Save His Marriage?

In July 1999, Fink and Patrick tied the knot, but in January 2015, she filed for divorce. The couple reconciled later and then called off their divorce in 2016, with the actor confessing that the possible end of his marriage had been "scary."

The pair saved their marriage by attending couple's counseling, and Patrick described it as very important for healing their bond. He said his marriage wasn't something he was prepared to forfeit and hadn't felt they'd done enough work on it.

The star felt it was "destabilizing" for a family to have a potential break up and a big part of his life felt like it was ending. He believed he could only do one thing at a time and do it well, so he learned to prioritize.

Patrick knew his union had to be his priority and admitted, "I wasn't prepared to give up on her, and she wasn't either." They both wanted to fight for their marriage, and they kept going, with the star adding:

"You've got to communicate, and stay open and not get lazy. And not give up. And lots of sex!"

However, almost losing his marriage and family life wasn't Patrick's only difficulty in 2015. The star's long-term role in a television series also came under fire, leading to his exit.

Why Did "Grey's Anatomy" Become Challenging for Patrick?

In 2015, Patrick left "Grey's Anatomy" after starring as Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd for eleven seasons. No one knew why he'd left so suddenly until the unauthorized book, "How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy," was released.

According to the book, the actor had infighting with the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, and his co-star, Ellen Pompeo. James D. Parriott, the show's former executive producer, allegedly revealed they'd also been human resource (H.R.) issues.

Stacy McKee, the show's former producer, believed there wasn't any other way [Dr. Derek "McDreamy"] Shepherd could leave without dying.

However, he explained that it wasn't anything sexual, but Patrick reportedly terrorized the set, and some co-stars had PTSD with him. Parriott claimed the star had a hold on the set whereby he knew he could scare people and stop production.

The studio and network had sessions with the show's team, but Parriott suspected that Patrick was done with the series. Fink's husband allegedly didn't like having the inconvenience of working and having to come in every day, with Parriott noting:

"He and Shonda were at each other’s throats.”

For the book's interview, Patrick allegedly confessed to having resented the show's schedule, where he worked for ten months and 15 hours daily. He reportedly didn't know his schedule, too, and when his children asked him what he was doing on any given day, he couldn't give a clear answer.

The star spent eleven years going through that challenge but was grateful because he was paid well. So he allegedly didn't complain because he didn't feel he had the right to because it was hard to say no to the kind of money he was getting.

The actor also relished that he was a working actor on a visible, phenomenal, known worldwide series, and he got to play a beloved character. Patrick allegedly admitted that he hadn't wanted to let that go because he didn't know when he'd get work and have repeated success.

His character was killed off in a car accident, and Stacy McKee, the show's former producer, believed there wasn't any other way Shepherd could leave without dying. The star's character and the one Pompeo played were deeply bonded as a couple on the series, and it would've been uncanny for him to leave his onscreen children.

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