š¢š± Eric Dane now in 24/7 hour care amid ALS diagnosis as estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart shares health update š„
Eric DaneĀ now receives around-the-clock care to help with his life-altering diagnosis ofĀ amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, his estranged wife has revealed.
TheĀ Greyās AnatomyĀ star, 53, who inĀ April announced he was living with ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder, has been legally married to Rebecca Gayheart since 2004.Ā She filed for divorce in 2018; however, she later dismissed the petition in MarchĀ to keep their family together amid Daneās health challenges. They share two daughters.
In a new first-person essay penned forĀ The Cut, Gayheart candidly shared that āEric has 24/7 nurses now.ā
Opening up about her hard-fought battle with the insurance company to get approval for full-time care, she recalled: āWith the nurses, the woman from his insurance said to me, āYou can keep applying, and Iāll keep denying,ā I was like,Ā Oh? F that.
āI made it my mission. I was ālocked in,ā as the kids would say. I crashed out, and then I locked it in. And we got it approved after two appeals.ā


She explained that āthe week is divided into 21 shifts,ā and during the times when the shifts arenāt covered, she fills in.
Reflecting on the time theyāve spent together since his diagnosis, Gayheart said: āItās all been really positive, and I think itās nice for the kids to see maybe a softer side of us. Itās not that they have the hopes of us being together ā kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours donāt because they understand the reality of the situation. And hopefully, what they see instead are two adults who are trying to be mature and focus on whatās important.ā
While theyāve been separated for eight years, theĀ JawbreakerĀ actor looks back fondly on their marriage.
āWe had a really lovely marriage for a long time ā we were married for 15 years ā we created two beautiful girls,ā she said. āBut also, lots of s*** went crazy in our relationship, and it wasnāt good.ā
Addressing the intricacies of their āvery complicatedā relationship, Gayheart explained: āWe separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to and then we didnāt. We havenāt lived in the same home for eight years; heās dated other people, Iāve dated someone. Itās a very complicated relationship, one thatās confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but itās a familial love.ā

Dane, who shot to fame as Dr. Mark Sloan onĀ Greyās Anatomy, has been vocal about his hopes to continue working despite his dwindling mobility.
āIām fairly limited in what I can do physically as an actor, but I still have my brain, and I still have my speech, so Iām willing to just do about anything. Iāll take on any role,ā he said earlier this month during a virtual panel with theĀ I AM ALSĀ organization.
āFrom here on out, itās going to have to be ALS-centric. Itās going to be very difficult for me to play any other role. Iām fine with that. Iām grateful that I can still work in any capacity.ā
Last month,Ā Dane appeared onĀ Brilliant MindsĀ as a firefighter with ALS, his first on-screen role since he publicly shared his diagnosis.