While romance is a huge part of Grey's Anatomy, there have been plenty of times where the surgeons have crossed the line in the name of 'love'

Relationships on the hit ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy have always been complicated, reflecting the myriad complexitiesthat human beings face in daily life. Whether falling in and out of love, holding a candle for someone who's beyond reach,as well asthe dark, murky side of relationships, Grey's has shown it all.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Characters Who Give The Best Romance Advice (& 5 Who Give The Worst)

The characters in this series, which is as much a relationship drama as it is medical, have been deeply in love but they have also cheated on their partners and been unfaithful at various times. Some of these creative decisions completely threw the arc while a few made somesense in the broader context. One must remember that infidelity, however undesirable, is still a very human behavior. However, that's not to say that the randomness didn't take anyone by surprise.

Alex Karev in season 1 of Grey's Anatomy was an arrogant and selfish jerk, who grossly lacked any social etiquette. It was no surprise then that he cheated on Izzie Stevens with the nurse Olivia after he let the pressures of the relationship get to him.

Although Izzie and Alex weren't formally together at the time, they were building to something good. Izzie was also the person who convinced everyone to give Alex a second chance after she saw a softer and more vulnerable side to him. In that light, the fact that Alex fooled around with other women while giving Izzie hope, was not cool.

Dr. Nathan Riggs appeared only for rather a short time at Grey Sloan Memorial. He was an ex-colleague of Owen Hunt's at the military, and the fianc of Owen's sister, Megan.

Megan and Nathan were both revealed to have cheated on each other. But Megan's side of the story was never really shown explicitly, whileNathan was berated time and again by Owen for having cheated on his sister. He was even revealed to have gifted Megan a necklace belonging to the woman he had cheated with. Although he did move heaven and earth for Megan after she was found alive, his history of cheating couldn't be erased.

Kate Walsh joined the medical drama as Derek's wife, bringing up the third angle of the love triangle that Meredith and Derek found themselves in. But even as the thorn in Meredith's flesh, Addison soon went on to be a beloved character and fans couldn't get enough of her.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Characters We'd Love To See Return in Season 17

Addisonwas said to have cheated on Derek with his best friend Mark Sloan prior tothe timeline of the show itself. She then came to Seattle to put things right with Derek. However, their marriage was soon cut short when Derek cheated on her with Meredith. Of course, had Addison never cheated, the entire MerDer storyline might never have happened, but keeping that aside, it was pretty low of her to have an affair with her husband's best friend.

Owen proclaimed his love for Cristina more than once and he did indeed love her, choosing her over Teddy whom he had always had feelings for.

But when Cristina decided not to have children and even aborted Owen's child, the latter decided to hurt her by cheating. He hooked up with a friend of a patient, and later on, he has a long, traumatizing conversation about his unfaithfulness with Cristina. Seeing that Owen and Cristina were the second lead pair for a long time on the show, Owen's indiscretion was indeed disheartening.

One major case of infidelity happened before the series had started but continues to have a big impact, even today.

Meredith's mom Ellis, had had a long drawn out affair with Richard Webber, even though she was married to Thatcher Grey. Ellis and Richard were in love but their relationship destroyed Meredith's childhood and her relationship with her biological father, Thatcher. Moreover, Maggie Pierce turned out to be Ellis and Richard'sdaughter. Although the revelation shocked everyone, it was nice to see Meredith discover she had more family.

If Ellis cheated on Thatcher then naturally Richard cheated on Adele too, only he did it more than once. His wife was sweet and gentle, forgiving him for his affair with Ellis Grey.

RELATED:Greys Anatomy: 5 Times Richard Webber Was An Overrated Character (& 5 He Was Underrated)

Richard might always be the "Chief" to all at Grey Sloan, but his behavior towards Adele was intolerable. Fans will always agree that Adele deserved better.

Callie and Arizona were a lovely couple and fans rootedfor them through all the ups-and-downs. From Callie's accident while she was pregnant, to Arizona having her leg amputated after the devastating plane crash in the season 8 finale, these two had indeed been through a lot.

But what didn't make sense was Arizona cheating on Callie with the craniofacial surgeon Lauren Boswell (played by guest star Hilary Burton). While Arizona did struggle in the aftermath of the plane crash, fans couldn't understand what made her cheat.

Another cheating scandal that occurred in Grey-Sloan has to beTeddy cheating on Owen with Tom Koracick. The usually cool-headed, rational Teddy suddenly decided to throw all caution to the wind when she began a physical relationship withTom, whom she was casually hooking up with before Owen proposed to her.

Teddy's uncharacteristic behavior has had fans in an uproar. Of course, Tom seems to actually care for Teddy so if the writers decide to make Koracick beat his current illness, then he might have a chance with Teddy after all.

One of the worst and most heartbreaking instances of infidelity onGrey's has been Derek's moment with his research fellow, Renee.In seasons 10 and 11, Meredith's dream relationship with Derek went through a rough patch as the latterleft for DC.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Times Meredith And Derek Were The Perfect Couple (& 5 Times They Weren't)

Meredith feared the worst and she was almost right, for Derek did end up kissing Renee - although it's possible this kiss opened his eyes and drove away any confusion he might have had regarding him and Meredith. He did come running back to Seattle, but for MerDer shippers his little moment with his Research Fellow was devastating. Of course, Derek did fall for Meredith while he was still married to Addison, but to see him on the verge of cheating on Meredith herself never went down well with fans.

Probably the worst case of infidelity on Grey'sthat was not just uncharacteristic of those involved but also completely meaningless in the individual story arcwas George O'Malley cheating on Callie.

George was goofy, adorable, and good through and through, so his sudden decision to sleep with Izzie while still being married to Callie seemed bizarre. True, he and Callie weren't exactly the perfect couple, but that didn't seem to justify the story arc where he acted on his impulses with Izzie. Especially as Callie had given him absolutely no reason to hurther.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: Why Season 1 Was The Best Season Of The Show

Next How I Met Your Mother: 5 Characters Wed Want To Be Friends With (& 5 We Wouldnt)

Surangama, or Sue, as she is called by many, has been writing on films, television, literature, social issues for over a decade now. A teacher, writer, and editor, she loves nothing better than to curl up on a lazy afternoon with her favorite book, or with a pen and a notebook (a laptop would have to do!) and a foaming cuppa tea on the side.

Excerpt from:
Grey's Anatomy: 10 Worst Times A Character Cheated, Ranked - Screen Rant