Rebecca Gayheart is offering new insight into the complicated state of her relationship with Eric Dane. The two, who married in 2004 and share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, have spent years navigating uncertainty. People reported in March 2025 Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 but dismissed the petition in March 2025.
Less than a month later, Dane revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” he told People at the time.
GettySince his diagnosis, they have presented a united front while focusing on their daughters. During the November 17 episode of “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen,” Gayheart spoke for the first time about where their relationship stands now.
‘We Show Up’: Gayheart Says Her Daughters Come First Amid Dane’s Illness
“I am definitely trying to show [my daughters] that we show up for people no matter what,” Gayheart said.
“And he is our family, he is your father. We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it, and that we will get through it the best we can. I mean, it’s super complicated for me.”
Gayheart said she and Dane have “been separated for eight years,” and shared that their daughters “live with me 100% of the time.”
Getty“There’s been lots of just stuff, other stuff,” she said. “I try to stay optimistic, though, about it all. I’m trying to learn from it and role model, for them, how to go through something like this, which is really hard.”
GettyHelping their daughters process Dane’s diagnosis has been one of her biggest challenges. “I don’t know if I’m doing it well or if I’m … doing it in the wrong way or the right way. I’m just showing up. I’m showing up, and I’m trying to be there for them, and I guess time will tell,” she said. “They’re good girls who are just going through a lot.”
Actress Shares How She Is Growing Through the Hardship
GettyGayheart said she is “experiencing growth as a person” as she supports her ex through his illness.
“It’s all very humbling,” she explained. “And I think one piece of this that I hope I’m passing to my kids is the idea that you can show up for someone and be there for them, but you also have to show up for yourself, and that this is life. Life, sadly, is just moments, good and bad, strung together. There’s gonna be good ones, there’s gonna be bad ones, there’s gonna be exciting ones, it’s gonna be really sad.”
In September, she told People that her daughters are “really suffering” as they adjust to Dane’s health 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.
Even so, she acknowledged that the diagnosis has affected their family dynamic. “Eric will always be my family, whether we’re married or not, or living in the same house or not,” she said. “We are closer, but we don’t like the reason why. It’s a horrible disease, and I wish that there was a cure.”
Dane Credits Gayheart as His Anchor Through the Toughest Season
Dane has also spoken openly about the support he receives from Gayheart. In June, he called her “my biggest champion,” and said she is the person he turns to the most.
“I call Rebecca. I talk to her every day,” he told Diane Sawyer. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents … I lean on her.”
Together, the two continue to work through a life-changing diagnosis, parenting, and a relationship that Gayheart describes simply as “super complicated.”
