Patrick Dempsey had been featured in People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue 10 times before landing the cover.
Patrick Dempsey was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive after appearing on 10 previous covers of the iconic issue in supporting roles.
“I’ve been the bridesmaid,” the former “Grey’s Anatomy” actor said exclusively to People. “Now I get the big picture not the little picture that’s on the side.”
“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” he told the magazine. “It’s nice to have the recognition, it’s fun. If you can use this for something positive, it’s good. And certainly my ego takes a nice little bump.”
Dempsey is particularly passionate about the Dempsey Center, which he founded in memory of his late mother. The center, located in Maine, “provides personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost.”
Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show, Dempsey joked that the decision for him to receive the title was “finally” made. “We’ve been close a few times,” he said after the cover was revealed.
“Never give up on a dream,” he teased, adding that he fasted and went to the gym a month prior to shooting the cover.
“You have to enjoy the moment when you have it. The year goes by so quickly,” he noted. Chris Evans was given the title last year, and Dempsey admitted he had not heard from the “Avengers” star yet, but hoped to soon.
Dempsey was not expecting the coveted title, explaining, “I was completely shocked, and then I laughed and was like, ‘You’re kidding me? This is a joke, right?’ I was on a plane heading from New York to Maine and we were taxiing out – it was very early in the morning – and my phone rang. And I started laughing, and it’s like too funny.”
Dempsey, who has three children with wife Jillian Dempsey, told Kimmel that his family had a similar reaction. “They laughed – quite hard. They were like, ‘No seriously, who is it?’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s me.'”

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