Treatment 

Rebecca Gayheart revealed the truth about the state of her marriage to Eric Dane just one day before news of his devastating ALS diagnoses was announced.

The Grey’s Anatomy star, 52, confirmed Thursday that he’s been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is a rare and incurable degenerative condition that impairs the nervous system over time and causes the muscles to increasingly suffer from paralysis.

In a statement, Dane expressed how grateful he is to have his ‘loving family by [his] side’ as he battles the debilitating condition.

Last month, he and wife Gayheart — who share two young daughters — shocked fans by calling off their divorce.

And Gayheart recently provided insight into their rekindled relationship as they prepare to grapple with his ailing health as a family.

While attending a screening of The Carters: Hurts To Love You on Wednesday night, the actress, 53, told E! News that she and Dane are still the ‘best of friends.’

Rebecca Gayheart revealed the truth about the state of her marriage to Eric Dane just one day before news of his devastating ALS diagnoses was announced; the couple seen in 2018 

While attending a screening of The Carters: Hurts To Love You on Wednesday, the actress, 53, told E! News that she and Dane are still the ‘best of friends’ 

‘We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,’ she said of Dane at the event.

‘We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well,’ she added.

Read More Rebecca Gayheart, 52, looks smitten while hand-in-hand with Hard Rock founder Peter Morton, 76, on romantic date night

The actress didn’t divulge into specifics about their seven year split, but still she refused to look at that time apart as a ‘failure.’

‘I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It’s just a season. It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success,’ she said.

‘We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids so I think that’s a successful relationship, and that’s how we look at it,’ she said.

Gayheart also revealed that her both of her daughters have taken an interest in modeling and acting.

Dane and Gayheart are parents to daughters Billie Beatrice Dane, 15, and Georgia Geraldine Dane, 13. 

‘They both talk about it, but they’re too young yet,’ Gayheart revealed on the red carpet.

‘We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,’ she said of Dane at the event 

Rebecca stood by Eric through various personal problems, including his rehab stay in 2011; pictured in 2017 the year before she filed to end the marriage 

Rebecca and Eric tied the knot in 2004, two years before he landed his fan favorite role as Dr. Mark Sloan aka ‘McSteamy’ on Grey’s Anatomy.

They stayed together through the scandal that erupted five years into their marriage when a home video leaked of them frolicking naked with an ex-beauty queen. 

Six years later in 2017, Eric entered treatment for depression, resulting in a filming pause on his action drama series The Last Ship.

The following year, Rebecca filed for divorce on grounds of irreconcilable differences, and the pair agreed on joint custody of their daughters with Eric paying alimony.

However, the divorce was never finalized throughout the seven-year split.

The actress filed to dismiss the divorce back in early March 2025, though they were both linked to other romantic partners recently. 

Dane was spotted with 27-year-old Priya Jain back in January, while Gayheart had been linked to Hard Rock Cafe founder Peter Morton, 77.

Gayheart was first spotted with Morton back in September 2023, and they were even seen in together in early March 2025 at the Chanel pre-Oscar party, just days before she called off the divorce. 

Meanwhile, Dane was spotted having a dinner date with Jain  back in November, though neither Dane nor Gayheart have spoken about those relationships.

‘We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,’ she said of Dane at the event 

Gayheart seen with her and Dane’s two daughters Billie Beatrice Dane, 15, and Georgia Geraldine Dane, 13 

Given that the divorce was never finalized over the seven-year split, there were also rumors of reconciliation over the years. 

Gayheart made no mention of Dane’s ALS diagnosis during Wednesday’s E! News interview.

Dane publicly announced the shock health news Thursday in a heartbreaking statement to PEOPLE.

‘I have been diagnosed with ALS,’ Eric, 52, said. ‘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,’ said Eric, a longstanding star of the HBO series. ‘I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.

ALS has been colloquially known in America as Lou Gehrig’s disease ever since it claimed the life of the beloved baseball player in 1941 when he was just 37.

About half of ALS patients have a life expectancy of three years after the initial onset of symptoms, though some can survive for decades. 

Sandra Bullock’s longtime love Bryan Randall succumbed to ALS in 2023 after a three-year battle, and SpongeBob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg also died of the condition in 2018 just one year after announcing his diagnosis. 

Stephen Hawking was another sufferer of ALS, living with the illness for more than half a century before dying at the age of 76 in 2018.

Just two months ago, R&B diva Roberta Flack – whose hit singles included Killing Me Softly With His Song – died aged 88 after sharing publicly in 2022 that she had developed ALS.

The actress didn’t divulge into specifics about their seven year split, but still she refused to look at that time apart as a ‘failure’; the couple seen with their girls in 2016 

Gayheart made no mention of Dane’s ALS diagnosis, which he publicly announced in a heartbreaking statement to PEOPLE; Dane seen in 2024

Eric is pictured in a group sH๏τ for Grey’s Anatomy with his co-stars (from left) Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh 

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): Details of fatal disease there is no cure for

What is it? 

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurogenerative disorder which impacts the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. It gets progressively worse and causes significant muscle control loss in people who have it. 

Treatment 

There is no cure for ALS and the disease is fatal, but it progresses at different speeds in patients. 

Symptoms

The first signs of ALS are twitching of the muscles, weaknesses of the limbs and problems with swallowing and speaking. Progressively, it deteriorates muscle control and impacts an individual’s ability to breathe, move, speak and eat.

ALS symptoms correspond with where nerve cells deteriorate in each person, and could lead to issues walking, tripping, and weakness of the knees, ankles and hands.

It can also lead to problems with muscle cramps and twitching in areas including one’s tongue, arms and shoulders. People with ALS have experienced untimely spells of laughter, tears and yawns, as well as changes to one’s thinking process or behavior, according to the clinic.

Risk factors 

Among the risk factors researchers have established for ALS include genetics, as about 10 percent of people diagnosed with it were pᴀssed down a gene from a relative, which is called hereditary ALS, according to the clinic. Kids of people who have hereditary ALS have a 50 percent chance of having the gene.

Age is also a factor as the risk of getting the disease trends up toward the age of 75, with the most common range of people who have it between 60 and 85. In terms of gender, men are diagnosed with a higher rate of ALS prior to the age of 65, according to the clinic.

Other factors that have been linked to ALS include smoking and exposure to toxic substances. The clinic reported that military personnel have been diagnosed with ALS at a higher rate.

Causes

There is no known cause of ALS, according to the Mayo Clinic, and heredity plays a factor in a small number of cases. 

Lou Gehrig was one of baseball’s preeminent stars while playing for the Yankees between 1923 and 1939. Known as ‘The Iron Horse,’ he played in 2,130 consecutive games before ALS forced him to retire. The record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995 

Lou Gehrig’s Disease

As well as being known as ALS, it is frequently referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Lou Gehrig was a stalwart first baseman for the New York Yankees between 1923 and 1939. He was famous for his strength and durability, earning the nickname ‘The Iron Horse’ with a record-setting streak of 2,130 consecutive games.

In a July 4, 1939 speech on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, the ballplayer famously said, ‘For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.’

His popularity and fame transcended the sport of baseball. He died two years after his diagnosis on June 2, 1941.

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Oscar-winning English actor David Niven was diagnosed with ALS in 1980 and died three years later at 73, while The Right Stuff star Sam Shepard lost his life to complications from the illness in 2017, also aged 73.

Former NFL player Steve Gleason is still living with ALS after making his diagnosis public in 2011, three years on from his retirement from football.

The cause of ALS is a process called neurodegeneration, in which motor neurones – specialist nerve cells in the brain and spine – begin to malfunction.

Most people with ALS only start exhibiting symptoms in their 60s, though in very rare cases the condition can develop in people as young as teenagers.

Early symptoms can include weakness in one limb that then spreads to a different one, or difficulty swallowing, or slurred speech, via Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Over time, patients may start falling down, suffering from fatigue, losing motor skills, laughing or crying uncontrollably or feeling their muscles twitch and cramp.

When the condition advances even further, someone with ALS can experience paralysis and have difficulty with functions as basic as swallowing or breathing.