Actress Rebecca Gayheart once again explained why she withdrew her divorce filing after the late Eric Dane's diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She said, "Even in the hardest moments, I wanted to teach the i-dle to be by their family's side."
Gayheart appeared on a podcast in November last year and explained the background of her decision to withdraw the divorce just before Dane's ALS diagnosis became known. She said, "I have told my daughters, "we never turn our backs on our family no matter the circumstance. He is our family and your father," and "I wanted to show how to stay together especially in the hard and worst moments."
The two married in 2004 and had daughters Billie (15) and Georgia (13), but after 13 years of marriage Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018. They remained separated for about seven years, and last March she officially withdrew the divorce. A month later, Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis.
In the interview, Gayheart said, "The most important thing throughout this process was the i-dle," and added, "The situation is hard and sad and not good, but I wanted the children to feel that they are protected and cared for." She candidly expressed, "I don't yet know if this choice is right or wrong. I'm just there for the children."
She also explained the two's relationship through an essay in December last year. Gayheart said, "Our love is no longer romantic love, but love as a family," and said, "We didn't live in the same house for eight years, but we are still connected as a family."
She acknowledged that they each had other partners at times, but added, "We always come together for family gatherings." She explained, "I spent a lot of time at Eric's home with the children, we ate together and saw each other often. We still existed in the form of a family."
Meanwhile, Eric Dane died on the 20th (local time) after battling ALS. He was 53. The bereaved family said, "Eric Dane passed away Thursday afternoon after a brave fight, in deep sorrow," and added, "He used his voice until the end to raise awareness and support research for ALS, and he will be remembered forever with love."
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