Rebecca Gayheart shared a candid update about her relationship with Eric Dane just hours before he revealed his ALS diagnosis.
During an interview with E! News on Wednesday the 53-year-old actor explained that she’s on good terms with Dane, after filing to divorce him in 2018. However, in March, she filed for the divorce petition to be dismissed.
“We are best of friends. We are really close,” she told the publication, while at the screening of the miniseries, The Carters: Hurts to Love You in Los Angeles. “We are great co-parents. I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure.”
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum continued to applaud her marriage, before hinting that she and Dane ended their romantic relationship.
“I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure,” she added. “It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success. 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.”
Gayheart and the Grey’s Anatomy alum tied the knot in 2004 and went on to welcome two children, Billie, 15, and Georgie, 13.
They shared a joint statement in 2018 to announce their divorce, noting that ending their marriage was “the best decision” for their family.
“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,” they said at the time. “We kindly ask that you respect our privacy during this time as we navigate the next phase of our lives.”
However, according to court documents obtained by People, Gayheart requested to dismiss the 2018 divorce petition without prejudice, and both she and Dane signed that document.
One day after Gayheart spoke about her friendship with Dane, the Euphoria star revealed he was diagnosed with ALS.
“I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” he told People on Thursday. “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to [the] set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
ALS, also known as motor neuron disease, is an incurable condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and causes increasing muscle paralysis over time.
Early symptoms of the disease, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), include: muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder or tongue; cramps; tight or stiff muscles; muscle weakness; slurred or nasal speech; and difficulty chewing and swallowing.
There is currently no cure for ALS, but the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a number of drugs to ease the discomfort of sufferers such as Riluzole and Radicava.
