Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane’s wife Rebecca Gayheart opens up about family struggles with ALS; ‘It’s heartbreaking'

Actress Rebecca Gayheart has shared an emotional moment about her family’s life as they navigate the challenges of her husband Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis. The “Grey’s Anatomy” star, 52, revealed in April that he is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurological disorder that attacks nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles.

Family coping 'day by day’

Speaking at Step Up's 2025 Inspiration Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, Gayheart, described the situation as “heartbreaking” and said she and their teenage daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, are leaning on professional therapy and day-to-day resilience.

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“My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it,” Gayheart told People. “We’re trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace, and love. It’s a tough time.”

ALS: Understanding the disease

Dane has been open about the disease’s effects on his body. In a June interview on Good Morning America, he revealed that he has already lost full use of his right arm and anticipates further progression affecting his left. “My left side is functioning; my right side has completely stopped working,” he said. “It’s sobering.”

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ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, currently has no cure. It gradually weakens muscles and can lead to paralysis, placing immense emotional and physical strain on patients and their families.

Gayheart admitted that maintaining a positive outlook is difficult. “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 the situation has strengthened her bond with Dane, though “we don’t like the reason why.”

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Strengthening bonds amid health struggles

The couple, who married in 2004, briefly filed for divorce in 2018, but Gayheart dismissed the petition earlier this year. The former spouses continue to co-parent their daughters closely. “We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great co-parents,” she told E! News* in April.

Dane has often credited Gayheart as his primary source of strength. “I talk to her every day,” he told Diane Sawyer. “She is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”

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Gayheart emphasized her ongoing commitment to Dane, noting, “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. 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.”

Despite the progression of ALS, Dane has vowed to continue living life to the fullest. “I’m approaching this thing one day at a time, and today’s a good day. So that’s a win,” he said in a June interview with Fox News.