Eric Dane’s estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart has opened up about their ‘complicated’ relationship while revealing that the actor now has around-the-clock care amid his battle with ALS.
Model and actress Gayheart, 54, filed for divorce from the actor in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
But one month before Dane, 53, revealed his devastating ALS diagnosis in April 2025, the pair quietly called off their divorce.
In recent months, Gayheart has been dating on-and-off boyfriend Peter Morton, 78, and the pair were spotted passionately kissing in Beverly Hills earlier this month.
In a first-person piece published in The Cut, Gayheart now shed new light into her relationship with Dane, explaining that her love for him is not romantic but ‘familial.’
She added that she is trying to do her best by him amid his health issues.
She said: ‘We had a really lovely marriage for a long time – we were married for 15 years – we created two beautiful girls.
‘But also, lots of s**t went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn’t good.
Rebecca Gayheart (seen with her daughters) has shed light on her ‘complicated’ relationship with Eric Dane
The actress, 54, who married Dane in 2004, explained how she’s been navigating Dane’s ALS diagnosis with their kids, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13 (pictured 2017)
‘We separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to and then we didn’t. We haven’t lived in the same home for eight years; he’s dated other people, I’ve dated someone.
‘It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.’
Gayheart added to the publication that she still ‘shows up’ for Dane to make his health journey ‘easier.’
‘So, whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that,’ she added.
‘And I want to model that for my girls: That’s what you do. That’s the right thing to do.’
Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.
In a joint statement announcing their divorce in 2018, they said ending their marriage was ‘the best decision’ for their family and pledged to remain close as co-parents.
‘There’s a new normal for me and my family,’ Gayheart said a year after the split. ‘It hasn’t been easy. But I think what’s exciting is what’s ahead… my kids are happy and healthy.’
Gayheart said in The Cut that she and Dane (seen with his daughters in May 2024 both try to do right by each other
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ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare and incurable motor neuron disorder that affects around 5,000 Americans each year.
Symptoms often progress rapidly and can be difficult to detect early on.
Dane first noticed weakness in his right hand in early 2024, thinking he’d ‘been texting too much or my hand was fatigued.’
Months of testing and visits to multiple specialists confirmed the devastating truth: an official ALS diagnosis in April. By June, he had lost use of his right arm.
In her first-person piece in The Cut, Gayheart revealed that Dane now receives 24/7 care from nurses.
She explained that each week is divided into 21 shifts, and that she steps up cover them herself when nurses aren’t available. When she can’t help out, she ropes in their friends.
