LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- It's been four years since Katherine Heigl left Grey's Anatomy and launched her not-so-successful film career, but the 35-year-old actress has unveiled that the main motivation behind her departure was to spend more time being a mom.
While interviewing for the September issue of Good Housekeeping, Heigl said that after adopting her first child, Naleigh, in 2009, she "felt like [her] priorities were messed up" because she "was putting so much time and energy into just my work, but I was raised [to believe] that family comes first."
"I would come home angry and frustrated that I'd missed everything with my kid that day," the actress shared. "I didn't get to wake her up from her nap, or do bath time or bedtime. I'd have to sneak into her room and kiss her when she was sleeping, hoping not to wake her up."
Heigl's discontent prompted her to take a leave of absence from Grey's to experience a couple of "glorious" months taking care of her daughter at home. Her time off, and hopes to expand her family with husband, Josh Kelley, lead to the actress leaving the show for good in 2010 to move to a larger property in Utah. Two years later, the couple adopted their second daughter, Adalaide, in Louisiana.
"We had big dreams of expanding our family, moving to the mountains and having a quieter life," the actress explained. "Utah is spectacularly beautiful, the people are wonderful and kind, it's an easy commute from LA -- and there's no traffic!"
After admittedly overdoing it with roles in romantic comedies, Heigl will return to TV in the upcoming NBC drama State of Affairs.
The September issue of Good Housekeeping hits stands on August 12. You can read Heigl's full feature on the magazine's website.
