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Sara Ramirez on keeping her private life private and being happy with herself

No matter how you may feel about Callie’s pregnancy story line on Grey’s Anatomy, there’s one thing we can agree on: Sara Ramirez is amazeballs. And March’s issue of Latina magazine gives us a few new reasons to adore her, starting with the cover.

In the article, Ramirez opens up about her lifetime of body issues and subsequent battle with depression following the death of her “gay husband,” Al D. Rodriguez, whom she refers to in very Grey’s-speak as her “person.”

“For about 10 or 11 years, up until he died, he opened my eyes up to accepting myself and loving myself,” she says. “He would sleep with guys and I would do my thing, but we were going to grow old together.”

While Ramirez again declined to discuss her personal life -she says she’s “Never been very cookie cutter” – she noted that she’s “never quite found my best friend and my romantic relationship all rolled up in one.”

Ramirez also noted that she used to be extremely hard on herself and body issues were a byproduct of her parents divorce.

“It was something that was passed on from one generation to the next – that’s the legacy I was born with in my family,” she said, adding that friends and family members contributed to her feelings of not being good enough, which later was magnified through her work in the entertainment industry. “There’s a whole list of things you could worry about. Are you skinny enough? Are you too fat? Are you talented enough? In all kinds of ways, I used to be really, really hard on myself.”

But it was Rodriguez – and later a grief counselor following his death – who helped her push through. “Finally, at 35, years old – especially when your best friend dies – you kind of have to let go of what other people think, start to redefine yourself and get back to what you know you deserve,” she told the mag.

Ramirez, noting that she receives hate mail for playing a lesbian on TV and openly supporting gay rights, also touched on the upcoming Grey’s Anatomy musical episode, which executive producer Shonda Rhimes noted is “Callie-heavy.”

“They’re taking songs that Grey’s made popular during its first three seasons and tying them into the story telling, which will have much to do with Callie and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey),” she said, noting that she’ll be singing a few songs in the episode.

Ramirez is in a much happier place now. “One of the things I’m clear about is how sexy I feel,” she said. “I feel badass and sexy and empowered and clear.” Clearly.

Are you looking forward to the March 31 musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Think Sara will sing Brandi Carlile’s “The Story”?

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