Rebecca Gayheart discusses the ‘complicated’ challenges of parenting her daughters with Eric Dane amid his ALS diagnosis

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Rebecca Gayheart is sharing how she’s trying to be there for her family during a difficult time.

The actress, who shares two teenage daughters with Eric Dane, recently appeared on the podcast “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen” and discussed how she’s approaching her role as a parent after Dane was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, earlier this year.

Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in 2018, but dismissed it in March – weeks before the “Euphoria” actor went public with his diagnosis.

On the podcast, Gayheart told the hosts that despite being separated from Dane for eight years, she wants to show their daughters “that we show up for people no matter what.”

“And he is our family, he is your father,” she continued. “We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it, and that we will get through it the best we can.”

“I mean, it’s super complicated for me,” she added.

Dane and Gayheart have been married since 2004 and share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

The “Jawbreaker” star said she’s been trying to help their daughters through this tough time, which has been “humbling” for her.

“I think one piece of this that I hope I’m passing 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, and that this is life,” she said. “Life, sadly, is just moments, good and bad, strung together. There’s gonna be good ones, there’s gonna be bad ones, there’s gonna be exciting ones, it’s gonna be really sad.”

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that make the muscles of both the upper and lower body work, according to the ALS Association, a non-profit organization which works to research the disease and offer resources to people living with it. There is currently no known cure.

In June, Dane told Diane Sawyer that he talks to Gayheart every day.

“We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” he said at the time. “And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”

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