Getty Chris Ivery (L) and actress Ellen Pompeo attend the Roc Nation Pre-GRAMMY Brunch at the Soho House on February 11, 2012 in West Hollywood, California.
Since becoming the star of ABC’s top-rated series, Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo has become a household name. The mother of three has been married to her husband Chris Ivery since 2007, and together, they raise their children in a beautiful Mediterranean-style home in Los Angeles.
How did Pompeo and her husband meet? How old are their children? Read on for details.
1. She Has Three Children with Chris Ivery
Actress Ellen Pompeo, Stella Luna Pompeo Ivery, and Chris Ivery attend the 1st Annual Children Mending Hearts Style Sunday on June 9, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.
Ellen and Chris have three children: Stella Luna Pompeo Ivery (8), Eli Christopher Pompeo Ivery (1), and Sienna May Pompeo Ivery (4).
Chris, the youngest, was born December 2016. In an interview with Parents.com, Ellen was asked how her eldest daughter Stella has been as a big sister to her younger two. She says, “She’s super-helpful. Her little sister is a handful, so she’s amazing! I mean, I’m very lucky I have a lot of great people who help me, and I have help from wherever I can get it!”
Paging Doctor Grey: Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery have welcomed baby No. 3! t.co/mntrVFbVKk
Though Ellen is a huge star, the couple’s wedding was rather intimate. The pair flew from LA to New York in November 2007, and married in a small New York ceremony where Mayor Michael Bloomberg served as witness.
2. They Welcomed Their Middle Child Via Surrogacy
Pompeo shared Sienna’s birth with an Instagram post that read, “Sienna was born via surrogate & I would like to thank my whole @ShondalandTV family for helping us enjoy these first few weeks privately.”
According to the Daily Mail, Pompeo kept Sienna’s birth a secret for two months to protect the privacy of their surrogate.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Pompeo discussed the surrogacy process, saying, “This is an incredible thing to do with your life, to give the gift of carrying someone’s child. I am forever grateful and feel very blessed and grateful to her — she who will remain anonymous,” she said at the time. “I was there with her when they inseminated her, and we held hands. I looked into the microscope and I saw the embryo. I saw the baby, and they put it in a thingy, and they inseminated her. And then we held hands, and we prayed, we talked to God, and if she was meant to be. He said he was going to try to help us out, and now we have a gorgeous baby girl.”
3. She Met Her Husband in a Grocery Store
GettyActress Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery watch as the Detroit Pistons take on the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 28, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
Ellen met her husband in a grocery store in 2003, but they didnt date right away. In an interview with People, Ivery said, “We were friends for six months; then one night she just looked different to me.” Pompeo adds, “We were six degrees our whole lives, so I feel like we were sort of meant to be.”
Even though the two officially met in 2003, they actually grew up very close to one another. Both Ellen and Chris were raised just outside of Boston and their homes were jus 10 miles away from each other, according to Fame 10.
Ivery does his best to lay low, despite having a very famous wife. In an interview with People, Pompeo said, “I don’t really like a lot of makeup, and my husband doesn’t really like a lot of makeup,” she added that her husband is “is so supportive. He is amazing.”
4. Pompeo’s Husband Is a Music Producer
Actress Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery watch as the Detroit Pistons take on the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 28, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
Ivery is a music producer at Calamity Jane, and wrote the song “Cheers (Drink To That)”, featured on the hit show Smash, according to Wetpaint.
Prior to that, Ivery was a producer at parallel music for 16 years. He has also volunteered with the Children’s Hospital of Los Angles (CHLA).
People reports Pompeo as once telling them, “My husband is a fantastic guy, and very, very secure,” she said. “I think that’s probably why I’m so into him — because he’s got so much swag. He’s just so secure that nothing shakes him. If it did shake him, I wouldn’t know.”
5. She Admits It Can Be Tricky Juggling Work and Children
In an interview with E! Online, Pompeo admits that it can sometimes be difficult balancing a family and work. At the time of the interview, Pompeo had just one child, Stella, and told E!, “It is challenging. You know, I have my days where I feel really guilty that I’ve been here every day if I have to work a lot. But the truth is I’m in a very blessed situation, I am so lucky. First of all, I am so lucky to live in a country where a girl like me can make this kind of living.”
She continued, “And I don’t think anywhere else in the world can girls have the freedom that we do here to have these amazing careers and be mothers. So first I’ll say it really isn’t a challenge with respect to the women in the rest of the world, I think we’re very lucky. And all working moms have their challenges and I’m incredibly lucky compared to most.”
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Ellen Pompeo Family & Children: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know