The late Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart had a unique bond even after they separated in February 2018.
At the time of their split, Dane and Gayheart had been married for 14 years and had welcomed two daughters, Billie, born in March 2010, and Georgia, born in December 2011. The couple stressed in a 2018 statement that “ending our marriage is the best decision for our family.”
“We will continue our friendship and work as a team to coparent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us,” Dane and Gayheart told Entertainment Tonight in March 2018. “We kindly ask that you respect our privacy during this time as we navigate the next phase of our lives.”
However, the couple never actually followed through with finalizing their divorce — and Gayheart eventually asked a court to have her divorce petition dismissed in March 2025. Later that year, Dane credited Gayheart with being his biggest supporter following his ALS diagnosis. (Dane died at age 53 in February 2026 after a battle with the neuromuscular disease.)
Keep scrolling for some of Dane and Gayheart’s honest comments about their relationship after their 2018 separation.
Rebecca Gayheart Said Coparenting With Eric Dane Wasn’t Easy at First
Six months after splitting from Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart spoke exclusively to Luxury Handbag Shopping about the difficulties of coparenting with an ex.
“We do our best,” Gayheart told Us in September 2018. “I think that we’re … I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy all the time. But we’re doing OK.”
The Scream 2 actress shared with Us that she wasn’t yet ready to seriously think about dating.
“I hang out with girlfriends,” she insisted.
In October 2018, Gayheart admitted to Us that there were “so many things” that were challenging about coparenting with a former spouse.
“It isn’t easy,” she said. “But we are trying and we are committed.”
Rebecca Gayheart Said Her Divorce from Eric Dane Gave Her a Unique Opportunity
Rebecca Gayheart went back to work as an actress and model shortly after filing for divorce. When Luxury Handbag Shopping chatted with her in October 2018, Gayheart said that the end of her marriage offered her an opportunity to set a good example for her daughters.
“I think that as a female you need to be able to always take care of yourself and never depend on a man,” Gayheart told Us. “I’m going back to work and I think it’s partly because I want my daughters to see me work. I took some time off to have my kids.”
Gayheart wanted her daughters, Billie and Georgia, to understand that life isn’t actually like the Disney animated movies they grew up watching.
“A lot of little girls watch and they start fantasizing about Prince Charming [saving them],” she noted. “I think that’s a message that’s very old-fashioned.”
Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane Prioritized Their Family After Splitting
There were seemingly a rocky first few months after Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane separated, but they always put their daughters first. They frequently vacationed as a family in subsequent years and even attended public events together.
By early 2020, Gayheart and Dane faced a dilemma shared by many divorced couples during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gayheart told Luxury Handbag Shopping in June 2020 that she was parenting “pretty much solo” because of social distancing restrictions.
“With the pandemic and the social distancing, [it] has been difficult,” she conceded. “But [the girls have] been here with me so that’s been good. [It’s] very consistent that they’ve been in one place.”
Gayheart noted that her family had some “super challenging” days during the pandemic, though the tough times brought them closer together.
“[The other day], we ended up at the Marina … and it was exactly what we needed,” she recalled. “We needed a day to do something different, be outside, take our masks off and play music.”
Rebecca Gayheart Called Off Her and Eric Dane’s Divorce in March 2025
Luxury Handbag Shopping reported in March 2025 that Gayheart asked a court to formally dismiss her divorce petition seven years after she originally filed the documents. In April of that year, she opened up to E! News about where she stood with Dane.
“We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,” she beamed. “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.”
Gayheart and Dane both felt it was important “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 pointed out. “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.”
Despite rumors that they had rekindled their romance, Gayheart and Dane were both linked to other people at the time. Gayheart had been spotted with billionaire Peter Morton dating back to 2023, while Dane walked the red carpet with Janell Shirtcliff at the premiere of his show Countdown in June 2025.
Eric Dane Thanked His ‘Loving Family’ for Their Support After His ALS Diagnosis
Eric Dane thanked his family for their support when he announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he told People. “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 the set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
Gayheart seemingly reacted to Dane’s life-altering diagnosis by sharing a list of “the real luxuries in life” hours after the announcement.
Her list, taken from an unidentified book, included, “Time, health, a quiet mind, slow mornings, ability to travel, rest without guilt, a good night’s sleep, calm and ‘boring’ days, meaningful conversations, home-cooked meals, people you love, people who love you back.”
In November 2025, Gayheart revealed on the “Broad Ideas” podcast that “adults [were] reaching out” to her daughters on social media for information about Dane’s health.
“[People are] sending them messages or trying to follow them because they have private accounts,” she said. “I don’t know how nefarious it is, but I just stop it.”
She went on, “Adults should never reach out to children. That’s all I know, period. But it’ll be disguised as, you know, ‘Oh, I’m just checking in because I love your dad and I just want to make sure.’ I’m like, ‘That’s an adult? Stop.’ It’s a stranger, it’s an adult, you don’t need to speak to them.”
Eric Dane Said Rebecca Gayheart Became His ‘Biggest Champion’
In a wide-ranging Good Morning America interview about his ALS diagnosis, Eric Dane disclosed that Rebecca Gayheart was the first person he called whenever he had health challenges.
“I talk to her every day,” the actor said in June 2025. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents, and she is my — probably my biggest champion. My most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”
Rebecca Gayheart Described Her Relationship With Eric Dane as ‘Super Complicated’
Rebecca Gayheart spoke in depth about her “super complicated” relationship with Eric Dane during a November 2025 appearance on the “Broad Ideas” podcast.
“We’ve been separated for eight years. The kids live with me 100 percent of the time. There’s been lots of just stuff, other stuff,” she said. “I try to stay optimistic, though, about it all. I’m trying to learn from it and [be a] role model for them [for] how to go through something like this, which is really hard.”
She went on, “I don’t know if I’m doing it well or if I’m doing it in the wrong way or the right way. I’m just showing up. I’m showing up, and I’m trying to be there for them. I guess time will tell.”
In light of Dane’s ALS diagnosis, Gayheart wanted to give Billie and Georgia a positive example of how to support someone in need.
“[Eric] is our family. He is your father,” she added. “We show up, and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it.”
Rebecca Gayheart Opened Up About Her ‘Love’ for Eric Dane
Rebecca Gayheart wrote an essay for New York Magazine’s The Cut in December 2025 about how her “love” for Eric Dane had changed since their 2018 separation.
“It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she explained. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.”
Gayheart pledged to do “whatever” it took to make Dane’s journey with ALS “better for him or easier for him.”
“I care about him deeply. We had a really lovely marriage for a long time — we were married for 15 years — we created two beautiful girls,” Gayheart admitted. “But also, lots of s*** went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn’t good.”
The model clarified that even though she and Dane “never got a divorce,” they have had relationships with other people.
“We have a lot of meals together. We do a lot of drop-by visits — well, I don’t just drop by. I always call and say, ‘I’m coming up the hill’ or ‘I’m dropping Georgia off.’ We wanna take advantage of the time that he has right now,” Gayheart wrote. “He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am committed to facilitating that. That was an easy conversation to have.”
Rebecca Gayheart Wrote About ‘Anticipatory Grief’ Before Eric Dane’s death
Writing for New York Magazine’s The Cut in December 2025, Rebecca Gayheart was candid about preparing for life without Eric Dane.
“I try to stay in the moment, even though there’s no escaping thinking about the future. I worry so much about my girls losing their father — they’re going through this while experiencing all the pressures that are put on young girls, and I want to do everything in my power to give them the tools they’ll need,” Gayheart wrote in December 2025. “They will be different because of this. I know that. One thing I’ve realized, and this is something I’m working on, is that I spend so much time navigating everyone else’s emotions around this, I haven’t really sat down and investigated how I feel about things.”
Dane and Gayheart decided early on after the actor’s ALS diagnosis that they wanted to have “have complete transparency and honesty” with daughters Billie and Georgia.
“I asked a therapist, ‘What is the best way to do this?’” Gayheart relayed.“We’ve had a family therapist who we’ve been working with since we separated, but I sought out professional help targeted toward teenage girls because it’s such a formative time in their lives — they’re trying to individuate while they’re having to deal with this really huge loss and anticipatory grief. And she said, ‘The kids will let you know; they’ll stop asking questions when they can’t handle it anymore, when it’s too much information.’”
Gayheart even offered Billie and Georgia the chance to speak with Dane’s doctor.
“They had a lot of questions that at that point I couldn’t answer, and I don’t even know if Eric could answer them,” Gayheart wrote. “They’ve talked to [the doctor], and they know that she’s available at all times.”
Eric Dane Spoke About His Love for Rebecca Gayheart in His Final Interview
Eric Dane spoke with Brad Falchuk about his diagnosis and his relationship with Rebecca Gayheart on Netflix’s Famous Last Words, which was released following Dane’s death from ALS.
“Well, [the girls’] mother and I are no longer together,” he explained while discussing daughters Georgia and Billie. “We’re still best friends, but we’re not together. We still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t want to live with each other, but there’s a lot of love there.”
Dane suggested he would never fall “in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca.”
“I think Rebecca was more willing to show up and do her part than I was,” he conceded. “I don’t have that gene [that] just makes you want to keep going regardless of what’s happening. I’m like, ‘If there’s a hole in the boat, don’t try to patch the hole. Scuttle the damn thing and go find a new one.’ … Rebecca’s a fighter and she perseveres.”
Dane’s family confirmed to Luxury Handbag Shopping in February 2026 that he’d died at age 53 following his battle with ALS.
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” the statement read. “He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
