The actress played Dr Izzie Stevens from 2005 until 2010, when she left to spend time with her newly-adopted daughter Naleigh and husband Josh Kelley.
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Despite previously ruling out a return to the ABC medical drama and saying that such a plotline would "feel manipulative", Heighl revealed that she has asked executives to try and slot her back into an upcoming season.
"I've told them I want to [return]," she told E! "Being a showrunner and being a writer of a TV series like that is so complicated... balancing about 40 different storylines, so I don't know if it fits in to their sort of vision for this season or next or however many seasons it goes.
"I really, really, really want to see where [Izzie] is. I just want to know what happened to her and where she went and what she's doing now."
Heigl added that she would like to see a revitalised Izzie return to Seattle Grace to "take some power back".
"My idea is that she actually like figures it out, and finds some success and does really well in a different hospital," the 33-year-old said. "She was always floundering you know, and so she was always one step behind the eight ball and I want to see that girl take some power back."
Hiegl recently admitted that she chose to leave Grey's Anatomy after struggling to balance both work and family life.
> 'Grey's Anatomy' Justin Chambers wants Katherine Heigl return
Watch Katherine Heigl discuss Grey's Anatomy below:
