Actor Rebecca Gayheart said her family is facing a “heartbreaking” struggle as her husband, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane, battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Speaking at Step Up’s 2025 Inspiration Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, Gayheart told People that she and the couple’s two daughters are relying on professional therapy and day-to-day resilience as they adjust to Dane’s diagnosis.
“I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time,” Gayheart, 54, said. She explained that the family is “trying to have some hope” as they navigate the challenges of the disease.
Dane, 52, revealed in June that ALS has already caused him to lose full use of his right arm and is beginning to affect his left.
“My left side is functioning; my right side has completely stopped working,” he said on “Good Morning America.” “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurological disorder that damages nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles. There is no cure.
Gayheart acknowledged the difficulty of staying positive amid her husband’s battle.
“I don’t think I’m at a place yet where I can pull out a positive nugget. I’m not there yet,” she said, adding that while the situation has strengthened her bond with Dane, “we don’t like the reason why.”
The couple, who exchanged vows in 2004, share daughters Billie and Georgia Dane.
Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 but dismissed the case earlier this year, according to multiple reports. In April, she said the two were co-parenting while alluding to no longer being romantically involved.
“We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great co-parents,” Gayheart told E! News in April. “We really figured out the formula to staying a family, and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well.”
Reflecting on the challenges of Dane’s struggle with ALS, Gayheart emphasized her commitment to his care.
“We’re definitely dealing with something that has brought us all together, and Eric will always be my family, whether we’re married or not, or living in the same house or not,” she said. “It’s a horrible disease, and I wish that there was a cure. I hope they find one soon, because it is just so sad.”
Dane credited Gayheart with being his primary source of strength.
“I talk to her every day,” he told Diane Sawyer in June, according to USA Today. “And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”
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