Eric Dane’s Wife, Rebecca Gayheart, Opened Up About Their Relationship

Eric Dane left behind a complicated family situation that included his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and a girlfriend named Janell Shirtcliff.

After Dane was diagnosed with ALS, Gayheart decided to withdraw her divorce filing, and she explained the move on the Broad Ideas podcast last November.

Gayheart explained that she withdrew the filing to send a message to the couple’s two daughters. “We tell them, ‘We show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father,’” Gayheart told the podcasters. The couple had daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, together.

Dane died on February 19 at the age of 53 from ALS.

Rebecca Gayheart Described How She Decided to Be There for Eric Dane Despite Their Separation

Gayheart and Dane were separated for seven years before she withdrew the divorce filing, according to Page Six. They married in 2004 and were separated for 13 years before their separation, Page Six reported.

She told the podcasters that the couple’s daughters were “taken care of” even though “things are hard and sad and bad.”

She described her relationship with Dane as “super complicated,” and added, “I’m just showing up and trying to be there for [my kids]. I guess time will tell.”

In an essay she wrote for The Cut, Gayheart revealed that the estranged couple’s “love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love” and said that “s*** went crazy” during their relationship. She wrote in that essay that they had both dated other people during their separation.

“This year, the girls and I have spent a lot of time at Eric’s house, which is about a 12-minute drive away from our home,” she wrote. “We have a lot of meals together. We do a lot of drop-by visits — well, I don’t just drop by. I always call and say, ‘I’m coming up the hill’ or ‘I’m dropping Georgia off.’”

During Dane’s illness, “he made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible,” she wrote in the essay. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me,” she wrote.

“I will never, by the time anybody sees this, would have ever fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca,” Dane said on Famous Last Words. “She’s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous.”

Eric Dane’s Girlfriend, Janell Shirtcliff, Posted a Tribute to Him After His Death

Gayheart was not the only woman to appear fond of Dane. He also had a girlfriend named Janell Shirtcliff. She describes herself on Instagram as a director and photographer.

Shirtcliff posted a series of photos and videos showing her with Dane to her Instagram story after he died.

According to TMZ, Dane and Shirtcliff were together for years but kept a low profile, despite a red carpet appearance.

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family told Us in a statement. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”

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This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.