Rebecca Gayheart Details 'Complicated' Relationship with Eric Dane Amid ALS Battle

"I am definitely trying to show them that we show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father," Gayheart said of her and Dane's daughters, before also reflecting on her own journey.

Eric Dane's wife, Rebecca Gayheart, is opening up about their family dynamic amid the actor's battle with ALS.

While appearing on Monday's episode of the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen podcast, the actress shared insight into her "complicated" relationship with Dane following their previous separation and his diagnosis.

Dane, 53, revealed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in April. His announcement came a month after Gayheart requested to dismiss her divorce filing. She had previously filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018 after 14 years of marriage. However, they never settled their divorce.

Gayheart -- who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with Dane -- explained that she's instilling the importance of always supporting one's family.

"I am definitely trying to show them that we show up for people no matter what," she explained. "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. We will get through it the best we can."

"It's super complicated for me," she continued. "We've been separated for eight years. The kids live with me 100 percent of the time. There's been lots of other stuff. I try to stay optimistic, though, about it all."

"I'm trying to learn from it, and role model for them how to go through something like this, which is really hard," Gayheart added. "I don't know if I'm doing it well or if I'm doing it in the wrong way or the right way. I'm just showing up. I'm showing up and I'm trying to be there for them. I guess time will tell."

The Jawbreaker star -- who previously shared that she and Dane's daughters are "struggling" amid their dad's health battle -- reiterated that it's been hard on the teens.

"They are good girls who are just going through a lot," said Gayheart, who also added that her daughters are "having such complex feelings about it all because it's public. It confuses them."

As for how she's doing, Gayheart explained, "I am definitely experiencing growth as a person, as a human being. It's all very humbling. I think one piece of this that I hope I'm passing on to my kids is the idea that you can show up for someone and be there for them, but you also have to show up for yourself. This is life. Life, sadly, is just moments, good and bad strung together."

"You never know what you're going to get, and we should treat today as a really special day," the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum added. "This isn't a dress rehearsal. This is it. Whatever we're doing today, this is our life."

Dane, 52, first announced he had been diagnosed with ALS in April in a statement with People. "I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter," he said.

"I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week," added Dane, who stars as Cal Jacobs on the HBO series. "I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS, often called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic. It causes loss of muscle control and the disease gets worse over time.

In late September, the Grey's Anatomy star shared that he's determined to be there for his daughters as they hit every milestone in life.

"I wanna ring every bell," Dane told California congressman Eric Swalwell in a TikTok video shared by the politician on Sept. 29 from their meeting in Washington D.C.

"I have two daughters at home. I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids," he continued. "I wanna be there for all that. So, I'm gonna fight until the last breath on this one."