Rebecca Gayheart has outlined her current “messy” and “complicated” relationship with estranged husband Eric Dane, as the actor battles ALS.
In an emotional essay for The Cut published on Monday, Gayheart said their love “may not be romantic, but it’s a family love,” and admitted that they “went crazy” when they were together.
The 54-year-old actress clarified that she and the Grey’s Anatomy alum, 53, “haven’t lived in the same house in eight years.”
She pointed out that since they filed for divorce in 2018, “he’s dated other people and (she) has dated other people, too.” Peter Morton is a 78-year-old billionaire.
The former couple, who married in 2004 and have daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, now see each other regularly, Gayheart wrote.
“This year, my daughters and I spent a lot of time at Eric’s house, which is about a 12-minute drive from our house,” she told readers. “We eat together a lot. We stop by a lot. We don’t just stop by. We always call and say, “I’m going up the hill,” or “I’m dropping Georgia off.”
Additionally, Gayheart is replacing the “Euphoria” star as a “24/7 nurse” during “uncovered shifts.”
Her goal is to “make the most of the time[Danes]have now.” That’s because he had “made it clear that he wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible” during his health issues.
Gayheart insisted she was “committed to promoting that,” writing, “Eric knows that I always want what’s best for him. I’m going to do my best to do what’s right for him, and I know he’ll do the same for me.”
“So anything I can do to make this journey better for him or easier for him, in any way, I want to do it,” she continued. “And I want to model for my daughters, ‘That’s what you do. That’s the right thing to do.'”
Despite her family’s “unfortunate” circumstances, Gayheart passionately described co-parenting her teenage children during this time as a “really positive” experience.
“I think it’s nice for our children to see our kinder side,” she wrote. “They don’t want us to be together…because they understand the reality of the situation. And hopefully what they’re seeing instead is two adults who are trying to mature and focus on what’s important.”
Last month, Gayheart similarly addressed her “very complex” role in Dane’s life on “Broad Ideas,” telling listeners that she “shows up” for her daughters’ father “with some dignity and grace.”
Gayheart added that her two-year relationship was “on hiatus” because it was “impossible” for Billy and Georgia to date because they wouldn’t accept anyone “because of her father’s circumstances.”
Dane has been publicly dating actress Priya Jain since he ended his divorce from Gayheart in March.
The ex-lovers called off legal proceedings a month before Dane announced his ALS diagnosis.
“We’re best friends,” Gayheart told E! Notice for April. “We’re really close. We’re great co-parents.”
Dane continues to act, most recently landing a moving role in “A Brilliant Mind,” and Gayheart himself is getting back in front of the camera.
“I’ve always wanted to return when my daughters were a little older,” she wrote in an essay Monday. “So I was already on that path, but when I got Eric’s diagnosis, I knew he needed to get back to work because at some point he wasn’t going to be able to work.”
