Patrick Dempsey and wife Jillian Fink to divorce

Patrick Dempsey and his wife, Jillian Fink, are divorcing after 15 years of marriage.

"It is with careful consideration and mutual respect that we have decided to end our marriage," the couple said in a statement to People. "Our primary concern remains the wellbeing of our children, and we ask with profound gratitude that you respect our family's privacy at this very sensitive time."

Dempsey, 49, and Fink have three children together - daughter Tallulah Fyfe, 12, and twins Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen, 7.

The actor is best known for playing Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd on "Grey's Anatomy." He's also a racing enthusiast who was at an event in Florida when news broke of the couple's split.

According to The Associated Press, Dempsey hinted at potential life changes while at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

"For me, I've been incredibly fortunate to have 'Grey's' run as long as it has," he said. "It's been a tremendous gift, and it's allowed all of this to happen. That's been taking up a lot of time, and of course, you have a life off the track and your family and trying to balance that out and make that work and then focusing on the racing.

"It would be nice to be one-pointed and not spread so thin sometimes. I think where I'm going is to really streamline and be much more specific in balancing things a little bit better than I have in the past."