Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl made her first public appearance in more than two years at the Wine, Women & Shoes charity event in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, alongside her mother, Nancy.
The 47-year-old was glowing in a brightly-patterned green and white dress which fell to her knees. She added blue heels, dangling earrings and a yellow Chanel bag to complete the look, and wore her iconic blonde locks in a voluminous coif.
Her mother looked stylish in a cream-colored shirt and matching pants, with a beige jacket over the top. The pair attended the charity event to raise money for the Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida, and had the opportunity to hold several adorable puppies on the day.
Katherine spoke to the Palm Beach Post about how important the charity’s work was, and how it aligned with her own foundation, Heigl’s Hounds of Hope, which is part of the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, named for her late brother.
“Our biggest goal right now really is to diminish the number of unwanted litters coming into this country, which is what is overcrowding our shelters,” she told the Post.
“We hear the word ‘shelter,’ and we think these animals are safe there, and they are not. It’s not the shelter’s fault, and it’s not the fault of the shelter’s workers. It’s that our country is overrun with puppy-mill breeders.”
© Getty ImagesKatherine’s appearance on Sunday marked her first public outing since January 2024, when she joined her fellow Grey’s Anatomy castmates onstage at the Emmy Awards. She also paid tribute to the late Eric Dane, who portrayed Dr Mark Sloan on the show, after his passing in February 2026 due to ALS.
See inside Katherine’s stylish home below…
“I have never been comfortable grieving publicly,” Katherine wrote on Instagram. “I share my tears, my stories and my memories with those I’m closest to and more times than not I share them only with the heavens alone. But that silence can often look like a lack of care, which I could not abide here.”
“Rebecca, Billie, Georgia,” she continued, referring to Eric’s wife and two daughters. “There is so little, if in fact anything, one can say about a tragic loss like yours. All the ‘I’m sorries’ and ‘my prayers are with you’ ring a bit hollow in the midst of so much pain and grief.”
© Getty Images“I will never forget Eric’s gold, and I will forever be grateful I got to bask in it for even a brief moment in time. Thank you for sharing him with us. God Speed my old friend…here’s to your next great adventure.”
© Disney General Entertainment ConEric’s wife, Rebecca, shared her thanks in the comment section, writing: “Thank you, Katie – I still cannot find the words to publicly say much.”
In the years following Katherine’s exit from the show in 2010 after 120 episodes as Dr Izzie Stevens, the blonde beauty went on to star in projects like Life As We Know it, New Year’s Eve, State of Affairs, Doubt, Suits and Firefly Lane.
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