Sara Ramirez's Callie hanging up 'Grey's Anatomy' scalpel

LOS ANGELES - Surgeon Callie Torres is turning in her scalpel at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Sara Ramirez, who plays Dr. Torres on "Grey's Anatomy," tweeted Thursday that she's taking "welcome time off" after 10 years with the ABC medical drama.

The actress said she was grateful to the network and producer Shonda Rhimes. She said she expected to remain part of the ShondaLand company "family."

ABC confirmed the tweet's authenticity but declined further comment.

The bisexual Callie and her female romances were a TV rarity when first introduced. The gay characters were both played by cast members rather than, as was more typical, by a star and guest actor.

As the season ended, Callie was preparing to move from Seattle to New York. A twist in her custody dispute over daughter Sofia was part of Thursday's season 12 finale.