His family say they are adjusting to ‘the new normal’
Grey’s Anatomy and Last Ship star Eric Dane and his family say they are focusing on professional support as they navigate life following his ALS diagnosis. The actor, 52, revealed in April that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as motor neurone disease, in a statement to People, and his wife Rebecca Gayheart has now said at Step Up’s 2025 Inspiration Awards she and the couple’s two daughters – Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13 – are learning to manage their “new normal”.
She added at the event: “We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love. I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.”
Eric said in a statement announcing his diagnosis: “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
In June, during an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, he reflected on the reality of living with the illness, adding: “I wake up every day, and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening. It’s not a dream.”
Rebecca Gayheart, who married Eric in 2004, filed for divorce in 2018 but the couple later reconciled. She told People: “I don’t think I’m at a place yet where I can pull out a positive nugget. I’m not there yet. I mean, 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, but yeah, we are closer, but we don’t like the reason why.
“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.”
Earlier this month, Eric announced a partnership with the nonprofit I Am ALS, a day after missing an appearance at the 2025 Emmy awards where he was scheduled to present with fellow Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams. In a video message, he said: “I’m Eric, an actor, a father and now a person living with ALS. For over a century, ALS has been incurable, and we’re done accepting the status quo. We need the fastest path to a cure, and that’s why I partnered with I Am ALS on the Push for Progress. Our goal: a billion dollars over the next three years.”
He added: “Together, we’ll renew the landmark law Act for ALS, give promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and finally, finally, push towards ending this disease.”
The legislation, signed in 2021 and due to expire in 2026, authorised the Department of Health and Human Services to fund treatments and directed the Food and Drug Administration to dedicate resources toward a cure.