Although Rebecca Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, she moved to dismiss the petition in March. Just one day before Eric Dane publicly revealed his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Gayheart spoke warmly about their relationship, calling him her “best friend.”
“We’re best of friends. We’re really close,” the 90210 star, 53, told E! News during the April 9 screening of The Carters: Hurts to Love You in Los Angeles. “We’re great co-parents. I think it’s important not to view a relationship that ends as a failure.”
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Rebecca Gayheart’s heartfelt comments about Eric Dane came just a day before he went public with his ALS diagnosis.
“I’ve been diagnosed with ALS. I’m incredibly thankful to have the support of my loving family as we face this next chapter together,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum, 52, said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE. “I’m fortunate to still be able to work and I’m looking forward to getting back on the set of Euphoria next week,” he added. “At this time, I kindly ask for privacy for me and my family.”
Dane, who plays the complex father figure Cal Jacobs in HBO’s Euphoria, is set to resume filming on April 14. ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — is a rare, progressive neurological condition that gradually leads to muscle paralysis.
Gayheart originally filed for divorce from Dane in 2018 but submitted a request to dismiss the petition without prejudice in March, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. Despite the update in their legal status, Dane was seen with Priya Jain in February, and the two have been romantically linked since being spotted together at a sushi restaurant in November 2024.
The former couple share two daughters: 15-year-old Billie Beatrice and 13-year-old Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane met in 2003 and tied the knot the following year in a Las Vegas ceremony.
In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Gayheart shared insight into their relationship: “Eric and I are friends. We’re focused on co-parenting and staying a united family, even though we’re not together. Technically, we’re still married, just separated. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it. Life is good and full of exciting changes.”