Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's Relationship: All About Their Marriage, Separation and Reconciliation After His ALS Diagnosis
- - Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's Relationship: All About Their Marriage, Separation and Reconciliation After His ALS Diagnosis
Jordana Comiter, Emily BlackwoodDecember 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM
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Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart in Los Angeles in June 2017. -
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart have been married since 2004
They share two children, daughters Billie and Georgia, who they've coparented since their separation in 2018
Gayheart has since described their relationship as not "romantic," but "familial" and has supported Dane through navigating his ALS diagnosis
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart are family, no matter what their relationship looks like.
After tying the knot in 2004, they welcomed two children together: Billie Beatrice in 2010 and Georgia Geraldine in 2011. The Grey's Anatomy alum told PEOPLE in June 2014 that he felt like "a very lucky guy."
“I never had a family, and now I do,” Dane said.
Things shifted for the family in February 2018, when Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after 14 years of marriage. But in March 2025, the on-again-off-again couple appeared to reconcile, as Gayheart requested to dismiss the petition.
On April 10, Dane announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter," he told PEOPLE. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
The previous day, Gayheart gave E! News a status update on where she and Dane stood. "We are best of friends. We are really close," she said.
In a December 2025 essay for The Cut, the Jawbreaker actress wrote about how Dane's ALS diagnosis has brought their family closer and allowed their daughters to see "a softer side" of their parents.
"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," Gayheart wrote. "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."
She added, "It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love."
From their wedding to their children, here's everything to know about Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's relationship.
The pair married in 2004 — less than a year after they met
Chris Weeks/WireImage Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane during Maxim and Sobe Host 'Tale Slide' in Hollywood, Calif.
Though Dane has had his fair share of slow-burn relationships on-screen — especially while portraying Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy — things with the Scream 2 actress moved a bit quicker.
In 2008, the actor opened up to Flaunt magazine about the early days of his and Gayheart's romance, saying, "It's probably one of the least interesting stories in the world. It went basically like this: 'You wanna go out?' 'Yeah, sure.' Ten months later, we were married."
The pair tied the knot in Las Vegas on Oct. 29, 2004.
They share two children
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Billie Beatrice Dane, Eric Dane and Georgia Geraldine Dane attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures' "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood, California.
Dane and Gayheart welcomed their first child, daughter Billie, in Los Angeles on March 3, 2010. During a 2016 appearance on Harry Connick Jr.'s talk show, Dane revealed that she was named after his father.
The pair then welcomed their second daughter, Georgia, on Dec. 28, 2011.
Now teenagers, Dane shared on Live with Kelly and Mark in June 2024 that his daughters have seen "every episode" of Grey's Anatomy, adding that he will "never" let them watch Euphoria, in which he stars as Cal Jacobs.
They’ve endured some tough times
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Rebecca Gayheart-Dane and Eric Dane attend the 9th Annual Butterfly Ball on June 5, 2010, in Los Angeles.
Things haven't always been easy for Dane and Gayheart. While speaking to PEOPLE in June 2014, Dane, who went to rehab in 2011 to treat an addiction to painkillers following a sports injury, reflected on having "made mistakes," and expressed remorse for how it impacted Gayheart.
"My one regret is that I got the person I love most wrapped up in all that: Rebecca,” Dane said.
The actor went on to express gratitude for their progress, saying, “I honestly think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be at this moment in time. And I’m really happy.”
Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, but dismissed the petition in 2025
Paul Redmond/WireImage
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart at the 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
In February 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after over a decade of marriage.
“After 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family,” Dane told PEOPLE at the time. “We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us."
Their divorce was never finalized, and in March 2025, Gayheart requested to dismiss the petition without prejudice, seven years after it was first filed.
They continued to co-parent while separated
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, Calif.
In July 2019, Gayheart told PEOPLE that although she and Dane were separated, they were "doing [their] best to co-parent and maintain a family."
“There’s a new normal for me and my family," she explained. "And it’s taken us a little bit to get that down. Not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy. But I think what’s exciting is what’s ahead because there are so many different things that could happen now. I mean, we have so many options, and the good news is my kids are happy and healthy.”
The actress added, "I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it. Life is just good. There are so many exciting things happening."
The pair even took their daughters on a few trips abroad. In August 2022, they went on a "family vacay" in Europe and were spotted together in Hawaii in December 2024.
Gayheart called their relationship “a huge success” amid Dane's ALS diagnosis announcement
John Shearer/WireImage for Rolling Stone Magazine
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart during Rolling Stone Magazine Celebrates their 2006 Annual Hot List in Los Angeles.
Despite the pair's ups and downs, their marriage has been a success in Gayheart's eyes.
"We are great co-parents. I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure," Gayheart told E! News in April 2025, one day before Dane announced he was diagnosed with ALS.
"It's just a season. It wasn't a failure. It was a huge success," she added. "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."
In Dane's sit down interview on Good Morning America in June 2025, he said that Gayheart is who he calls when he needs support.
"I call Rebecca. I talk to her every day," he said. "We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her."
Gayheart shared another update on their relationship during a November 2025 appearance on the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen podcast.
"I am definitely trying to show [my daughters] that we show up for people no matter what. And he is our family, he is your father. We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it, and that we will get through it the best we can," she said. "I mean, it's super complicated for me."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
