LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Izzie doesn’t have a brain tumor. Meredith and McDreamy are living together.

These are just a few of the “Grey’s Anatomy” season five secrets that show creator Shonda Rhimes spilled to E! on Thursday, including some information on the show’s original couple’s intimate new living situation. The show returns to ABC on September 25 at 9 PM.

“It was a real challenge to figure out … how to get Meredith to the place where she was healthy enough to make this step with Derek,” she told E! “Now … it’s really exciting to see what’s going to come next and how she’s going to deal with living with a boy, and all the things a man like Derek, who has been married and is a grown-up, might expect.”

Rhimes wouldn’t reveal who moves in where. “You’ll have to watch and see,” she said.

She flatly denied rumors of Katherine Heigl’s character, Izzie, having a brain tumor with a simple “No.”

Izzie death rumors arose after the Heigl removed her name from Emmy consideration and stated, “I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination” – a statement Rhimes reportedly found “surprising,” according to People.

Instead, it looks like Izzie will be spending her time on the upcoming season getting hot and heavy with Alex.

“You’re going to see a lot of really interesting sparks between the two of them,” Rhimes said.

The show creator called the budding romance between Callie and Erica “a journey.”

“We don’t really know Erica’s side of the story yet,” she said. “We’re going to watch the larger world of what happens when the two of them come out of the hospital, and what happens when Callie’s dad finds out.”

According to Rhimes, their relationship evolved naturally.

“We really did start them out as being friends and it felt like there was something more there with them,” she said.

But “Grey’s” isn’t the only love-laden show Rhimes has going – returning spin-off “Private Practice” will feature “a lot more” of Addison’s love life, adding David Sutcliffe as a “cute” SWAT guy in addition to other potential romances.

“There might be some other guys in there for her,” Rhimes said. “She’s going to have some choices to make.”

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