Dempsey funds new cancer centre

Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has donated £125,000 to fund a cancer centre at the hospital where he was born.

The Patrick Dempsey Centre for Cancer Hope and Healing will open at the Central Maine Medical Centre in his hometown of Lewiston, Maine, on March 31.

It was created in honour of his mum Amanda, who was successfully treated for ovarian cancer at the hospital.

The new facility, which will be managed by the actor's sister Mary, will provide education and support programmes for patients and families affected by the disease.

He said: “For a family to get a cancer diagnosis is devastating and all the information out there can be overwhelming. A lot of websites I went to just didn’t have enough information. So I talked to my sister about a place where people could go for all this type of information and help.”

The 42-year-old plays Derek "Dr McDreamy" Shepherd in the US medical drama.