10 ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Couples That Made Us Believe In Love

Grey’s Anatomy has experienced a lot of changes over the course of its 20-year run. There have been dozens of deaths (cue the ugly crying), new characters have come and gone through the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial and by season 20 it seems that every character has lived in Meredith Grey’s house at some point.

But one of the biggest changes fans have seen over the years is the significant number of couples that have gotten together. Whether they had a love story for the books or a short-lived romance, every doctor on the show had had their fair share of love and drama. For that reason, here are the 10 best Grey’s Anatomy couples from over the years.

10. Maggie and Winston

Maggie (played by Kelly McCreary) and Winston (played by Anthony Hill) appeared to be the perfect match. Although each of them came with their own set of baggage, the two doctors seemed to be able to make it work. In fact, after a long-distance relationship, they finally married in season 18.

Flash forward to the current season, however, and the couple is going through a divorce, though it’s clear they truly loved each other even if it was only for a short while.

9. Cristina and Burke

The pairing of Cristina (played by Sandra Oh) and Burke (played by Isaiah Washington) certainly surprised audiences, especially since it was between an intern and an attending. Of course, that was already happening between Meredith and Derek, but considering it was against the rules, audiences weren’t expecting the match. The two cold-hearted surgeons nonetheless made a likely pair, especially as they started to bring out each other’s softer sides. But after a wedding gone wrong, they were a couple no longer.

8. Callie and Arizona

After a messy divorce with her ex, George, Callie (played by Sara Ramirez) met Arizona (played by Jessica Capshaw). Although she was unsure about her own feelings for a while, the two eventually got together and became a fan-favorite pairing. After a lot of drama, by season 7 the couple was married and having a daughter.

That being said, they broke up multiple times throughout the next few seasons, but by season 14 both characters left the series. Audiences eventually found out they were back together and living in New York.

7. Jackson and April

Talk about unlikely pairings: April is a smart surgeon, but na?ve when it comes to love, and Jackson Avery (played by Jesse Williams) is “the pretty boy,” as his family likes to refer to him. But after a slow-burn romance, the two get together and impulsively decide to get married.

After April (played by Sarah Drew) and Jackson lose their baby, their relationship becomes strained, and they head towards a divorce — but not before April becomes pregnant again. They part ways for a few years, but by season 18 it’s revealed they worked out their issues and are back together.

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6. Owen and Teddy

Who doesn’t love the friends-to-lovers trope? Owen (played by Kevin McKidd) and Teddy (played by Kim Raver) were friends from their time in the military together, but nothing ever happened between them. It took years for both surgeons to accept their feelings for one another, but now, in season 20, they are a happy, healthy married couple with two children. It’s hard to deny their love is one to admire.

5. Alex and Izzie

What about an enemies-to-lovers relationship? Nobody liked Alex Karev (played by Justin Chambers) in the beginning of the series, including Izzie (played by Katherine Heigl), as he was rude and had a bad attitude, but it wasn’t long before everyone saw his sweet and caring side. 

However, it was still quite a surprise when Alex and Izzie first got together. Though they were nothing serious at first, they eventually fell hard and fast for each other and later were married after Izzie was diagnosed with cancer. They later split up, but in season 16, fans found out Alex was getting back together with Izzie to raise their biological children.

4. Alex and Jo

After the initial split between Izzie and Alex, fans were worried he wouldn’t find a love like that again. But when Jo Wilson (played by Camilla Luddington) became an intern at the hospital, everyone had a new couple to root for. Alex and Jo were perfect together, both coming from traumatic childhoods, and they found a way to make it work. The couple should have been endgame, but ultimately, Alex chose to go back to his ex-wife, Izzie, and help her raise their biological children.

3. Meredith and Derek

The most iconic relationship from the series is the one between Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (played by Patrick Dempsey). Their scandalous beginning was the start of a very messy relationship, which included ex-wives coming back and commitment issues on both sides. But the two finally got it together and had a Post-it note wedding in season 5. They adopted a daughter together and had a son, but it all came to a tragic end when Derek was killed in a car crash (cue “Chasing Cars” and get the tissues).

It was later discovered that Meredith was pregnant with their third child after he was gone, who she had to raise on her own. Fans finally saw the couple reunite in season 17 when Meredith was balancing between life and death.

2. Bailey and Ben

One of the show’s healthiest relationships was the one between Bailey (played by Chandra Wilson) and Ben (played by Jason Winston George). After Bailey’s divorce, she met anesthesiologist, Ben. The two got together and only broke up once (which is a record for Grey’s Anatomy couples), but by season 9, they were married. Together they raise Bailey’s son, Tuck, and their two adopted children, Joey and Pru.

1. Mark and Lexie

Although their love story was a bit unconventional, Lexie Grey (played by Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) were truly a perfect match—and a fan-favorite relationship. Yet another intern-attending duo, Lexie and Mark weren’t a couple that was well-perceived by anyone, especially because Mark was a known womanizer. But Lexie helped Mark grow into the man that everyone fell in love with, and he wanted to build a life with her.

However, the couple split up, but remained in love with each other until the very end when they both died in a horrific plane crash. In season 17, fans got to see the couple again in Meredith’s dream world and audiences can assume they were happily together in heaven.

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