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Grey’s Anatomy: The Worst Thing To Happen To 10 Major Couples

Plenty of terrible things have happened to individual characters on Grey’s Anatomy, but some of the worst things have happened to couples.

The popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy has been home to many iconic television couples over the past 20 years, including the likes of Derek and Meredith, Callie and Arizona, and Cristina and Owen. While the show has told many great love stories, it has also broken up the couples with traumatic and tragic storylines.

Grey’s has never shied away from telling heartbreaking tales, but most times that has come with the risk of killing off fan-favorite characters and ruining beloved relationships. Plenty of terrible things have happened to individual characters on Grey’s Anatomy, but some of the worst things have happened to couples when they were together.

For a brief moment in Grey’s history, it seemed like Amelia had finally found her happily ever after with Link. The two had a healthy relationship in the 17th season, with Amelia giving birth to their son Scout and them giving off the vibes of a happy family.

Things quickly took a turn when Link got down on one knee, causing Amelia to flee the relationship. The two of them didn’t quite see eye to eye on the future of their romance, which led to the end of it. While there still seems to be a little bit of hope for the beloved couple, both parties seem to be moving on in the 18th season.

April & Jackson: Losing Samuel

April and Jackson were an unlikely couple when they first got together on Grey’s Anatomy, but their love story turned into one of the most believable, romantic ones on the show, to the point that some fans even believe deserves a spinoff.

April and Jackson went through a lot at the beginning of their relationship but always ended up finding their way back to one another. Things got especially tough though when April gave birth to their first child, Samuel, prematurely. His medical condition caused him to pass away soon after his birth, putting a strain on April and Jackson’s marriage that could never be fully repaired.

Callie & Arizona: Arizona Losing Her Leg

Arizona and Callie were a strong, loving relationship on Grey’s Anatomy, and it seemed like they may actually get a happy ending. That was proven to be untrue when Arizona got badly injured in the plane crash, causing Callie to play a role in making the difficult decision of amputating her leg.

Arizona’s surgery and amputation caused a lot of things to go wrong in their relationship. Arizona felt like Callie would never truly understand the struggles she went through by losing a limb and watching her friend die, and Callie tried to be supportive but ultimately failed to understand what her wife was going through. The traumatic event led to Arizona having an affair, a divorce, and an ugly custody battle.

Richard & Adele: His Affair With Ellis

Richard and Adele had a complicated relationship from the very beginning of Grey’s Anatomy, mostly due to mistakes on Richard’s part.

Though he was a talented Chief of Surgery, Richard wasn’t the greatest husband. His affair in the 70s and 80s with Meredith’s mother Ellis led to a lot of tension and underlying issues in his marriage to Adele, and his relationship with alcohol and tendency to overwork also contributed to their unhappiness.

Alex & Jo: Alex Visiting Izzie

After years of upward character development and many failed relationships and flings, it seemed like Alex Karev had finally found his soulmate in Jo Wilson. However, that all quickly turned around when Justin Chambers announced his exit from the show, effectively ending the marriage between the two characters.

On the show, Alex left for multiple episodes before returning via letter, informing his wife and close friends that he had chosen to be with Izzie and their two children, something that both shocked and saddened longtime viewers. This visit to see his ex-love was by far the worst thing to happen to Jolex, as it was the nail in the coffin for their love story.

Bailey & Ben: The Hospital Shooting

After a terrible first marriage, Miranda Bailey finally seemed to find a guy who really cared about her in Ben Warren during season 6. However, her love life was set back when Gary Clark returned to Seattle Grace with a vengeance, causing a lockdown to occur as he threatened to kill doctors.

After the traumatic event, Bailey decided that she needed her space and couldn’t be with anyone. The couple temporarily broke up, but found their way back to each other. They’ve been through a lot over recent years, including a miscarriage, career changes, and cancer, but they’ve been able to make it out stronger than ever before.

Lexie & Mark: The Plane Crash

Mark Sloan’s secret daughter showing up at Seattle Grace pregnant could easily have been the worst thing to happen to Lexie and Mark as couple, but it wasn’t.

Instead, the worst thing to happen to the two of them was that just as they were finally ready to admit their love for one another, a plane crashed and ended both of their lives. The star-crossed lovers never got their happy ending and told each other they were “meant to be” at the last second possible. Ultimately, the two both passed away and fans can fantasize that they made their way back to one another in the afterlife, finally living out their dreams.

Izzie & Alex: The Hospital Merger

Izzie and Alex were a seemingly perfect couple in the early years of Grey’s Anatomy, breaking up and then coming back together before Katherine Heigl’s eventual exit from the show.

Izzie and Alex reconciled and married when Meredith gifted Izzie her wedding day, leading many viewers to believe that happily ever after was in store for the on-again-off-again couple. However, Izzie and Alex’s marriage was over pretty quickly. The two were at odds after Seattle Grace merged with Mercy West, causing a surplus of surgeons and subsequent lay-offs. When Izzie thought Alex was sabotaging her job so that she could recover, she ran off, never seen on-screen again.

Cristina & Owen: He Cheated On Her

Owen and Cristina had their fair share of problems on Grey’s Anatomy. They didn’t always see eye to eye and rushed into a marriage after a traumatic event without properly discussing their dreams for the future.

When Cristina revealed that she didn’t want children but Owen did, their marriage took a turn for the worst. Things became more complicated when Owen began flirting with other women at the hospital, and he eventually confessed to Cristina that he had cheated on her, effectively ending their marriage. Owen’s behavior was the downfall of their relationship, causing it to no longer exist.

Meredith & Derek: Derek Died

Fan-favorite couple Derek and Meredith went through a lot together during their 11 seasons. They survived a secret estranged wife, Meredith nearly dying twice (once at the hand of a bomb and once by drowning), a hospital shooting, plane crash, and much more.

However, the ultimate cause of the iconic couple’s demise was when Derek was hit by a semi-truck in the eleventh season. After failing to receive a head CT at a nearby hospital, he was declared braindead and Meredith had to make the difficult decision to pull him off life support. It was by far the hardest decision Mer had to make thus far, and ended their tumultuous relationship once and for all.