Grey's Anatomy Season 11 Spoilers: Kate Burton to Return as Ellis Grey, A 'Meredith-Centric' Season With Babies on Board

Kate Burton is to return to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital!

The three-time Emmy nominee will return to her role as Ellis Grey, as a guest star in the Grey's Anatomy Season 11 premiere.

Burton will reprise her role in flashbacks as Meredith Grey's late mother Ellis. Her last appearance on the show was on the episode If/Then a few seasons ago.

Showrunner Shonda Rhimes in previous interviews had said that the 11<sup>th season was going to be "all about Meredith."

She said, "The show is just about Meredith Grey! Maybe the theme is Meredith at this point. It's really a Meredith-centric season," reported The Hollywood reporter.

Also, Meredith will be dealing with a lot of things during the premiere episode.

She will be coping with the fact that her close friend, Cristina, (Sandra Oh) is not in her life anymore, and her relationship with Derek is strained because of different career ambitions.

And there is another love child in the show. Ellis Grey and Richard have a daughter, Maggie. She is another half-sister for Meredith, after Lexie.

Also, last season ended with Maggie telling Richard that she doesn't know her father, and that she was adopted. She dropped a bomb when she told Richard that she came to the hospital because her mother's name, 'Ellis Grey' is on the building.

Shonda Rhimes said, "I knew the Richard-Ellis love child was a storyline since I planned the pilot. I was like, 'At some point, we're going to have the Richard-Ellis love child.'"

The showrunner told the Hollywood reporter that Maggie's storyline will be different from how Meredith first responded to Lexie.

"Could Meredith and Derek both go to Washington? We have the sets; we could do it. We've talked about it," she added.

There are speculations that Meredith will need her mother more than ever, and Ellis could be appearing to her in dream sequences where the two of them can talk.

In other news, Sarah Drew, who plays the role of April in the show, will not have to fake being pregnant at all on the new season.

It was revealed near the end of Season 10 that April and Jackson were expecting their first child together. The actress herself revealed to People Magazine that she and husband Peter Lanfer are expecting a baby.

"Peter and I are delighted to announce our pregnancy. We can't wait to introduce Micah to his little brother or sister," said Drew.

April and Jackson are not the only couple in Grey's Anatomy who are expecting a baby. Callie and Arizona have been considering welcoming another child via surrogate, but they will have to address other problems along the way.

Grey's Anatomy returns on Thursday, September 25, on ABC at 8 pm.