Character axed from 'Grey's Anatomy'

Brooke Smith has been axed from Grey's Anatomy, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Smith will make her final appearance as Dr Erica Hahn on this week's episode of the ABC drama, having joined the show as a permanent cast member in October 2007.

Her character and Dr Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) had begun a lesbian romance, however series creator Shonda Rhimes said the move was "unrelated to the sexual orientation of Smith's character".

Smith said she was "surprised and disappointed" to be told that her character was being axed.

"I was very excited when they told me that Erica and Callie were going to have this relationship. And I really hoped we were going to show what happens when two women fall in love and that they were going to treat it like any heterosexual couple on TV," she said.

"And so I was surprised and disappointed when they just suddenly told me that they couldn't write for my character any more."