Heigl garnered high critical acclaim for her performance as Izzie and received numerous awards and nominations for her role, winning the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007. She was critical of the character's development during the show's fourth season, particularly her romance with her on-screen best-friend George. She declined to pursue a nomination for the 2008 Emmy Awards, citing insufficient material in the role. After speculation that Izzie would be killed off in the fifth season, the character was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. She married Alex in the series' 100th episode, and afterwards, her tumor was successfully removed. Izzie made her final appearance in the sixth season, leaving Seattle after Alex refused to resume their marriage. Heigl requested to be released from her contract 18 months early, in order to spend more time with her family. 10 years after her final appearance, the character's fate was revealed in a season 16 episode.