NEED TO KNOW
Rebecca Gayheart is sharing where her daughters are living amid their father Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis
She also revealed how she’s approaching supporting her daughters as they navigate through this tough time
Gayheart and Dane are parents to daughters Georgia, 13, and Billie, 15
Rebecca Gayheart is opening up about how she and her two daughters are supporting Eric Dane amid his ALS diagnosis.
The actress, 54, appeared on the Broad Ideas podcast on Monday, Nov. 17, and shared how she’s been approaching Dane’s diagnosis with their two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13. Gayheart said she’s been telling her kids that “we show up for people no matter what” as their dad’s ALS progresses.
“He is our family. He is your father,” Gayheart said she told her daughters. “We show up, and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it.”
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Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and daughters Billie Dane and Georgia Dane attend the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Brentwood, California.
She also revealed that their girls are currently living with Gayheart “100%” after separating from Dane eight years ago.
“We’ve been separated for eight years. The kids live with me 100 percent of the time,” Gayheart explained. “I try to stay optimistic, though, about it all. I’m trying to learn from it and [be a] role model for them [in] how to go through something like this, which is really hard.”
She added, “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.”
Gayheart married Dane in 2004. She filed for divorce in 2018, but the pair later called off the split seven years later.
Back in September, Gayheart spoke with PEOPLE in an exclusive interview and shared that she and the couple’s two daughters are “taking it day by day.“
“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,” she continued.
“I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time,” added the actress and model.
Rebecca Gayheart/ Instagram
Eric Dane with Rebecca Gayheart and their kids
Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis exclusively to PEOPLE in April. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time,” he said in a statement at the time.
Speaking to Diane Sawyer for Good Morning America in June, Dane reflected more on his diagnosis, stating, “I wake up every day, and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening. It’s not a dream.”
In the same interview, Dane, who was once a competitive swimmer and a water polo star, shared that he had a scary moment when he was in the water with one of his daughters amid his diagnosis.
“When I jumped in the ocean that day and realized I couldn’t swim [or] generate enough power to get myself back to the boat, I thought, ‘Oh, God,’ ” Dane recalled. “And then I realized in that moment I’m not safe in the water anymore.”
In a voice-over, Sawyer explained that his daughter had to race to her dad’s rescue. “She dragged me back in the boat,” Dane said.
“What did you say to each other?” Sawyer asked.
“I was like breaking down in tears, so I made sure she got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling with the guide,” the dad of two said. “But I was just heartbroken.”
Read the original article on People