Eric Dane Admits He Has ‘No Reason to Be in a Good Spirit’ Amid ALS Battle

Eric Dane isn’t sugarcoating a single moment of his challenging ALS journey.

On Tuesday, December 2, the former Grey’s Anatomy star, 53, opened up during a virtual panel with advocacy group I AM ALS, where he admitted he’s fighting to stay emotionally afloat lately.

“I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time,” Dane, 53, said, according to People, adding that no one would fault him if he “crawled under the sheets” and cried for weeks.

However, he was surprised to discover he isn’t built to give up: “It was encouraging to know I could still have a buoyant spirit in the face of something so horrible.”

Dane first revealed his ALS diagnosis in April. ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, gradually robbing patients of the ability to walk, speak and eventually breathe, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The actor — who recently returned to TV in Brilliant Minds to play a firefighter hiding his ALS diagnosis from his wife — admitted the storyline struck painfully close to home. Dane shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia,13,  with Rebecca Gayheart.

Gayheart, 54, had filed for divorce in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, however, she requested to dismiss the divorce petition earlier this year in March — one month before Dane publicly shared his diagnosis.

Still, the actor, per People, says sharing his journey is now “imperative,” adding, “my life isn’t about me anymore.”