Rebecca Gayheart is getting candid about the realities of taking care of her family amid her husband Eric Dane's battle with ALS.
Though the former couple are no longer together — they married in 2004 and separated in 2018, though never filed for divorce — the Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood actress has, in addition to a slate of nurses that work around the clock, become his de facto caretaker in the past year.
The beloved Grey's Anatomy alum revealed he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease earlier this year, but has continued working and making occasional public appearances when possible. Per the Mayo Clinic, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, for which there is no cure, affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control, and gets worse overtime. ALS life expectancy averages two to five years after diagnosis, but can vary greatly.
© Alberto E. RodriguezRebecca, speaking with The Cut about the past year and reflecting on what her relationship with Eric looks like today, first said: "We had a really lovely marriage for a long time — we were married for 15 years — we created two beautiful girls," though added: "But also, lots of [expletive] went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn't good."
She further explained: "We separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to and then we didn't. We haven't lived in the same home for eight years; he's dated other people, I've dated someone. It's a very complicated relationship, one that's confusing for people."
Still, Rebecca maintained: "Our love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love. 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. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that. And I want to model that for my girls: That's what you do. That's the right thing to do."
© WireImageAs for what their day-to-day, particularly Eric's looks like now, Rebecca shared that he has "24/7 nurses now," which they had to appeal for several times with their insurance company.
"The week is divided into 21 shifts. There are times that shifts aren't covered, so I cover them," Rebecca said, before recalling a recent 12-hour shift that she couldn't cover. "I could only do four hours because of all the stuff that the kids are doing. So I had to call on two of Eric's friends, one of them who had never really taken care of him in that way."
"I thought, I can't believe I had to ask someone to do this. And of course when I asked for help, they said, "Yeah, anything, what do you need? What's going on?" And they both showed up and did a wonderful job."
© GettyRebecca and Eric share two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and though they haven't all lived together under one roof in about eight years, they are committed to spending as much time together as possible.
© Getty Images"Spending all this time together, it's all been really positive, and I think it's nice for the kids to see maybe a softer side of us," Rebecca said.
She added: "It's not that they have the hopes of us being together — kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours don't 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 what's important."
