What to Know
It’s been seven years since actress Rebecca Gayheart filed for divorce from Eric Dane, but their coparenting relationship has changed since he was diagnosed with ALS. During a new podcast appearance, Rebecca opened up about where her complicated relationship with Eric stands today, and how she’s prioritizing their daughters following Eric’s heartbreaking diagnosis.
Eric revealed his ALS diagnosis earlier this year.
In April, Eric told People about his life changing diagnosis.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he said in a statement at the time. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter. I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
Though Rebecca filed for divorce from Eric in 2018, she dismissed the filing in March 2025, just before Eric took his diagnosis public.
Rebecca admitted that their dynamic is “super complicated.”
During an appearance on the Broad Ideas podcast, this week, Rebecca said that she’s trying to show the two teenage daughters she shares with Eric — Georgia and Billie, who live with their mom full time — that “we show up for people no matter what.”
“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,” she said.
She said she’s trying to “show up” for her kids.
Despite how difficult this time is for her family, Rebecca said that she’s trying to be a good example to show her daughters “how to go through something like this.”
“I don’t know if I’m doing it well or if I’m … doing it in the wrong way or the right way,” she said. “I’m just showing up. I’m showing up, and I’m trying to be there for them, and I guess time will tell. They’re good girls who are just going through a lot.”
For her, the experience has been “humbling.”
“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,” she said. “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.”
