It’s been nearly 13 years since Grey’s Anatomy first aired on the small screen, but Ellen Pompeo, the show’s leading actress, has revealed how she had to “own her power” by fighting for her “worth”.

In a frank interview with Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo has spoken candidly about the advice given to her by the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes in propelling her forward:

“Decide what you think you’re worth and then ask for what you think you’re worth. Nobody’s just going to give it to you,” Rhimes told Pompeo.

At the end of 2017, Pompeo signed a new deal with ABC, securing $575,000 (£415, 800) per episode – with a seven-figure signing bonus. Pompeo is now officially the highest-paid actress on a television drama, raking in $20 million (£14.5 million) per year.

But Pompeo hasn’t held back in revealing how many punches she had to pull to get there – especially after her co-star Patrick Dempsey left the show in 2015, resulting in a “defining moment, deal-wise”.

“They could always use him as leverage against me — ‘We don’t need you; we have Patrick’ — which they did for years. I don’t know if they also did that to him, because he and I never discussed our deals,” Pompeo explained.

“There were many times where I reached out about joining together to negotiate, but he was never interested in that.

“At one point, I asked for $5,000 (£3,600) more than him just on principle, because the show is Grey’s Anatomy and I’m Meredith Grey. They wouldn’t give it to me. And I could have walked away, so why didn’t I? It’s my show; I’m the number one. I’m sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy? You feel conflicted but then you figure, ‘I’m not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.’”

Ellen Pompeo reveals how she fought for “her worth” in Grey's Anatomy