Grey’s Anatomy actor Eric Dane now requires full time care for ALS as ex details fight for support

The actor announced in April he had been diagnosed with ALS, the most common form of motor neurone disease.

Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane’s ex has revealed the actor now requires full-time care following his ALS diagnosis.

Actress Rebecca Gayheart confirmed “Eric has 24/7 nurses now”, detailing how she fought to ensure her former partner receives the care he needs to live with the debilitating disease.

Dane, who starred in the medical drama as Dr Mark Sloan, publicly announced in April he had been diagnosed with ALS — the most common form of motor neurone disease.

The progressive condition eventually impacts the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe.

While treatment can slow the disease’s progression, there is currently no cure.

Although Dane and his wife separated in September 2017, Gayheart has continued to support him.

In a first-person piece written for The Cut, Gayheart said she made it her “mission” to ensure Dane, who now uses a wheelchair, received the full-time care he requires.

After two appeals, Gayheart successfully secured around the clock nurse care for her former partner.

“The week is divided into 21 shifts,” she explained.

“There are times that shifts aren’t covered, so I cover them.

“There was a 12-hour shift recently that I could not cover.

“I could only do four hours because of all the stuff that the kids are doing.

“So, I had to call on two of Eric’s friends, one of them who had never really taken care of him in that way.”

Gayheart explained while this is all new territory for everyone involved, they both showed up to support their friend.

She also revealed one of the hardest parts about Dane’s diagnosis being made public is having all eyes on them.

The actress recalled a time they went out for a family dinner and she had to help Dane into his wheelchair.

“We went to have sushi one night, and it was the first time I had to unload the wheelchair and open it and get Eric into it on my own,” Gayheart said.

“And oh my God, I was sweating bullets and there were people watching and taking pictures, and I was so upset because I was really struggling.”

Despite the challenges, Gayheart added she will always want the best for Dane and do right by him.

In April, Dane first announced he was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

During a Good Morning America interview with Diane Sawyer, the actor revealed he had lost function in his right arm and was concerned about weakness developing on the left side of his body.

“My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working,” he said at the time.

“I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”

Dane and Gayheart have two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

Despite now requiring full-time care, Dane is determined to keep going for his family.

In September, he met with California Congressman Eric Swalwell to support the American non-profit I AM ALS and help pitch a bid to secure $1 billion in funding for ALS research over the next three years.

“I want to ring every bell,” Dane said in TikTok shared at time.

“I have two daughters at home. I want to see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids.

“You know I want to be there for all that, so I’m going to fight until the last breath on this one.”