Eric Dane emotionally opens up on ALS diagnosis: “It’s sobering”
Euphoria actor Eric Dane has emotionally opened up about the toll of his diagnosis of ALS, otherwise known as motor neurone disease, explaining that the outlook is “sobering.”
Dane was speaking for the first time since he made his diagnosis public in April this year, telling Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America that “it’s sobering” as there is “a very good chance” he will “taken from [his] girls very young.”
Explaining that the stark effects of the disease mean that he has already lost the mobility in his right arm, and subsequently expects to lose the use of his left, the actor said he realised the seriousness of his condition when his daughter was forced to save him from danger.
He said the pair were swimming when realised he didn’t have the strength to keep moving, at which point the 13-year-old had to step in. “She dragged me back to the boat. I was just, I was like, heartbroken,” Dane admitted.
Revealing that much of his despair surrounding his condition and his children’s future is rooted in the fact that he lost his own father at a young age, Dane noted that the one benefit of the situation was his improved relationship with his daughters’ mother, Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he has separated.
“I talk to her every day,” Dane said. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is … probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.”
Despite his diagnosis, Dane previously committed himself to filming the third series of hit HBO drama Euphoria, which is currently underway. He plays the character of Cal Jacobs, alongside an all-star cast including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi.
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