Ex 'Grey's Anatomy' Writer Under Major Fire

In March this year, a startling report by The Ankler speculated that a Grey's Anatomy writer had "fabricated medical details from her personal life." Elisabeth Finch told ELLE magazine in 2014 that she had been diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. From there, she was hired by Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes as a medical consultant on the show. Her incredible, heartwarming story of bravery was also incorporated into a storyline on the show. When these accusations broke, Elisabeth was placed on temporary leave, and soon after she quit entirely. Now, after months of keeping quiet, Finch has finally decided to share her truth...

"I told a lie when I was 34 years old, and it was the biggest mistake of my life," she admitted in the December 7 issue of The Ankler. "It just got bigger and bigger and bigger and got buried deeper and deeper inside me. I've never had any form of cancer. It just got bigger and bigger and bigger and got buried deeper and deeper inside me. I know it's absolutely wrong what I did. I lied, and there's no excuse for it. But there is context for it," she explained. "The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma, a lot of people adopt a maladaptive coping mechanism. That was my coping and my way to feel safe and seen and heard."

Dedicated to her lies, it was reported that Elisabeth did everything she could to appear ill. According to an ex-collegaue, she was their coworker "who lost her hair, whose skin was yellow and green, who had a visible chemo port bandage, who regularly took breaks to vomit, who only ate saltines for long periods of time and who wrote and talked about her experiences all the time."

As the truth came out, Finch told the publication her wife filed for divorce, and numerous members of her family cut her off. She also revealed she is now forbidden to see her children. "It's been a very quiet, very sad time," she admitted. "There were family and friends who called me a monster and a fraud and said that's all I'll ever be known for, and soon more truth would come out." Finch told The Ankler that she hopes taking accountability will be the first step to mending the relationships she broke through the lies. Stay tuned.