Ellen Pompeo's explosive fight for equal pay

She's the Grey in Grey's Anatomy.

But actress Ellen Pompeo has revealed it took her male co-star, Patrick Dempsey's departure from the show, for her to finally be paid her "worth."

In an explosive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the mum-of-three spilled the tea on how she negotiated a $20million-a-year pay deal after battling for years over a gender pay gap.

"For me, Patrick [Dempsey] leaving the show [in 2015] was a defining moment, deal-wise," Ellen, 48, told the publication. "They could always use him as leverage against me — 'We don’t need you; we have Patrick' — which they did for years.

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Prior to her on-screen love leaving, she admitted she asked for $5,000 more than him out of "principle," but said she was refused.

"I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one," she said. "I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy? You feel conflicted but then you figure, 'I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.'”

After 14 seasons on the show, Ellen now takes home $575,000 per episode, which makes her the highest-paid actress on a prime time drama.

She also negotiated becoming a co-producer of Grey's, which has been on air since 2005, in order to develop professionally as her contract prevents her from working anywhere else.

Reflecting on the situation, she says she now feels "empowered" and that unlike many actresses making movies in Hollywood, she has a form of "power" because she gained control of her finances and because of that she doesn't regret her path despite the fact she originally wanted to be a movie star.

The star also opened up about her encounter with Harvey Weinstein, who’s been accused of preying on dozens of actors, saying he "didn't try anything on me" during a meeting in his hotel room.

But she said her goal was "to charm him, as it is in most rooms like that.”

Wow, we've always loved Meredith - but now we love Ellen just as much too.

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