Ever since "Grey's Anatomy" show creator Shonda Rhimes decided to kill off one of the show's original and most beloved characters — Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), also known as McDreamy — she has been on the receiving end of a lot of flak from disgruntled fans on social media. But on a panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Rhimes defended her decision to kill off the character, saying that it was the only way to keep Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek's love. 

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the show creator spoke to reporters and, as quoted by ET Online, said, "What were the options? Either Der was going to walk out on Mer and leave her high and dry, and what was that going to mean?"

Rhimes added that Derek leaving Meredith would suggest that the love between them wasn't true, and that whatever they felt for the past 11 years was "a lie." Rhimes said that the only way for Derek to leave his wife was through death. 

"As painful as it was for me as a storyteller, the only way to preserve what felt true to me was Derek going to have to die for that love to remain honest," she explained. 

In the shocking episode which aired last April, Derek was involved in a car crash which left him brain dead, which forced Meredith — who was pregnant with their second child — to make the heartbreaking decision to take him off life support. 

After the episode aired, fans took to social media to declare that they were "done" with the show, while some wondered who Rhimes would kill off next. In previous seasons, other beloved characters also made surprising exits, such as Izzie (Katherine Heigl), who made her last appearance in the sixth season, and Meredith's best friend and "person" Christina Yang (Sandra Oh) who left after season 10. 

Rhimes said that the decision to have Dempsey exit the show a year before his contract ended was mutual. She revealed that she couldn't bring herself to go to the set when Derek's death was filmed. 

Meanwhile, Rhimes said that there will be a one year time jump when the show returns and that season 12 will be "lighter." As for a new love interest for Meredith, the show creator said that romance is "not really the focus of what we're doing with her right now." 

Speaking to E! News, Rhimes said, "Meredith is in a rebirth and she's evolving. I'm watching the character do what the character's doing, and I'll see where it goes."

Season 12 of "Grey's Anatomy" premieres on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. on ABC.