Eric Dane and his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, have filed for divorce after being married for fourteen years. Court papers were filed on 16th February and irreconcilable differences has been stated as the reason for the divorce. The papers were filed by Gayheart but there is no indication that Dane is contesting the divorce.
The couple were married in 2004 and have two daughters together. The court papers reveal that Gayheart has asked for joint physical and legal custody of the two girls. She is also claiming for spousal support from Dane. The couple were married in 2004 after only dating for a short time. Dane made the first move when he asked Gayheart out on a date but she was quick to accept. They were married all the time that he was in Grey’s Anatomy but their children were not born until after he had finished working on the show.
Irreconcilable differences can cover a whole range of problems that existed in the marriage and so it is hard to say for certain what caused the marriage to breakdown. Neither party has made any public statement regarding the divorce and so there is no information to be gained from that. The fact that no other parties were named in the divorce papers would suggest that there has been no adultery on either side.
Although no official statement has been made regarding the divorce Gayheart put an emotional post on Instagram on the day that the papers were filed. She posted a picture of herself with her two daughters – Billie who is six and seven year old Georgia. In the post she said that she would holding on to her girls extra tightly that day. She also made reference to broken hearts and shattered dreams.
Dane is known to suffer from depression and production on The Last Ship shut down last year for a few weeks so that he could focus on his mental health. This is something that the cast and crew were happy to go along with so that he could get the support and help that he needs. It is not thought that this short delay will have any effect on the release date for the new season. Eric Dane is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy which he starred in for over six years. He is currently playing the role of Tom Chandler in The Last Ship which will return for it’s fifth season in summer 2018. Rebecca Gayheart starred in several movies in the late 90s including Urban Legend and Jawbreaker and she is still well known for these roles today.
As things stand it does not seem as if there is any animosity in the divorce proceedings and it may be that it was a mutual decision. The couple may be hoping that they can make things as easy as possible for their children so that it has the least disruption on their lives and that they are able to spend the difficult months ahead living as normally as they can.
