“We’re just trying to get through each day—it’s such a hard time right now,” Rebecca Gayheart shared, speaking openly about how her husband Eric Dane’s battle with ALS is weighing on their family. The couple shares two daughters, 15-year-old Billie and 13-year-old Georgia, and Gayheart didn’t hold back on calling Dane’s diagnosis “heartbreaking.”
In a Saturday interview with People, the 54-year-old actress gave a candid update on how the family is coping with Dane’s ALS—a progressive neurodegenerative disease the 52-year-old actor first revealed in April. Most notably, she highlighted the toll it’s taking on their kids. “The girls are really having a hard time with it,” Gayheart said, adding that the family is leaning on professional therapists for support. “We’re taking things one day at a time, holding onto hope, and trying to get through this with dignity, grace, and love.”
Dane first announced his diagnosis in an April statement to People, emphasizing the comfort of his family’s presence. “I’ve been diagnosed with ALS, and I’m so grateful to have my loving family by my side as we step into this next chapter,” he said at the time. He also noted he was lucky to keep working, sharing excitement about returning to the set of HBO’s Euphoria—where he plays Cal Jacobs—the following week. “I kindly ask that my family and I be given privacy during this period,” he added.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—is a nervous system disorder that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic. Over time, it robs patients of muscle control, and symptoms worsen progressively.
Gayheart and Dane married in 2004, but their relationship hit a rough patch in 2018, when Gayheart filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage. The split was never finalized, though—and just a month before Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis, Gayheart asked to dismiss the divorce paperwork.
When People pressed Gayheart on how she’s holding up amid her husband’s illness, she was honest about her struggle to find positivity. “I don’t think I’m in a place where I can pull out a bright side yet. Not right now,” she admitted. Still, she noted the hardship has brought the family closer—even if no one wants the reason behind it. “This is definitely something that’s brought us all together, and Eric will always be family—whether we’re married, living in the same house, or not,” she said. “But we hate why we’re closer. It’s a terrible disease, and I wish there was a cure. I hope they find one soon, because it’s just so devastating.”
Dane himself opened up about a scary moment with his daughter Georgia back in June, during an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Good Morning America. Shortly after his diagnosis, the family was on a boat trip when Dane jumped into the ocean—only to realize he couldn’t swim hard enough to get back. “I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m not safe in the water anymore,’” he recalled. That’s when Georgia stepped in: She dragged him back to the boat, a moment that left Dane in tears. “I was heartbroken, but I made sure she got back in with her friend to keep snorkeling with the guide,” he said, getting emotional as he spoke.
Gayheart’s latest comments come just weeks after Dane used his platform to advocate for ALS research. The Euphoria star missed his scheduled appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards, but the next day, he posted an Instagram video partnering with the organization I AM ALS for its “Push for Progress” campaign—a movement aimed at speeding up research, funding, and treatments to one day find a cure.
“I’m Eric Dane: an actor, a father, and now someone living with ALS,” he began in the video. “For over 100 years, ALS has been incurable—and we’re done accepting that. We need the fastest path to a cure.” He went on to detail the campaign’s goal: raising $1 billion over the next three years. “Together, we’ll renew the landmark ALS act, get promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and finally—finally—work to end this disease,” he said. “There’s so much more to learn, so much more to do, and we have to act now.” He ended the video urging viewers to “get involved.”