Rebecca Gayheart on Her Enduring Bond with Eric Dane Amidst His ALS Journey
Rebecca Gayheart is providing some insight into her current relationship with estranged husband Eric Dane following his ALS diagnosis.
“It’s a rather intricate connection, one that’s perplexing for others. Our affection might not be romantic, but it’s a familial bond,” Gayheart, 54, shared in an essay published via The Cut on Monday, December 29. “Eric understands that I will always strive for the best for him. That I’m determined to do what is right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.”
Gayheart mentioned that she will do “anything” she can to make Dane’s ALS “journey better for him or simpler for him.” This is also something she wants to “show” their daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.
“That’s what one does,” she wrote. “That’s the appropriate thing to do.”
If you were to ask Gayheart, she and Dane, 53, have known each other “for countless years.” They met in 2003 and were married the following year.
“I cherish him deeply. We experienced a truly wonderful marriage for a considerable time — we were married for 15 years — we created two lovely girls,” Gayheart wrote. “But also, many difficult things occurred in our relationship, and it wasn’t positive.”
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's Relationship Timeline
They separated in September 2017 but “never finalized a divorce,” Gayheart explained. (She initiated divorce proceedings in February 2018, but filed to dismiss the divorce petition earlier this year.)
“We were planning to and then we didn’t. We haven’t shared a residence for eight years; he’s been involved with other people, I’ve dated someone,” Gayheart explained. Despite their separation, both Gayheart and their girls have “spent a significant amount of time” at Dane’s over the past few months.
“We have numerous meals together. We do frequent drop-in visits — well, I don’t simply drop in. I always call and say, ‘I’m approaching the hill’ or ‘I’m dropping Georgia off.’ We want to take advantage of the time he has right now,” Gayheart wrote. “He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am dedicated to facilitating that. That was a straightforward conversation to have.”
Gayheart described “some of the more challenging conversations” about Dane’s health that haven’t yet been addressed between them. “They are simply too heartbreaking,” she added.
Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis in April, but Gayheart explained that his symptoms began approximately a year prior.
“When we would have a meal with the kids, he’d comment things like, ‘Something’s wrong with my hand.’ He was having difficulty using his chopsticks, dropping his food,” she wrote. “That was when he began seeing doctors. He was initially given a few other diagnoses, but he had this uneasy feeling that it was something more serious.”
Are Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart Back Together? Everything We Know
Gayheart also detailed the day Dane contacted her with his official diagnosis.
“I was in my closet the day I heard those three letters: ALS. Eric called me from the doctor’s office in San Francisco; he’d flown down to see a neurologist there,” she wrote. “When he told me that day, he simply began to cry, as did I. It didn’t feel real because he was still doing well.”
She added, “I wasn’t aware of all the specifics like I do now, but I knew enough about ALS to know that there wasn’t a cure.”
A week after Dane’s diagnosis, they informed their daughters. It took “likely six months to process it,” Gayheart recalled, noting that things have changed significantly since Dane’s diagnosis — particularly since he went public.
“Eric’s diagnosis has altered my perspective on everything,” she explained. “Even with strangers, sometimes I’ll be standing in line to get my coffee and I’ll just look at them and think, I wonder what they’re experiencing. Because I know everyone is going through something.”
