Rebecca Gayheart Recalls Moment 'Weeping' Ex Eric Dane Called Her With Devastating ALS Diagnosis: 'It Didn't Feel Real'

Rebecca Gayheart revealed Eric Dane sobbed on the phone when he told her about his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.

In a Monday, December 29, essay for The Cut — titled "In Sickness and in Health" — the Jawbreaker actress, 54, recalled breaking down with her estranged husband, 53, when he phoned her with the life-changing news.

"When he told me that day, he just started weeping, as did I," she wrote, adding that "it didn’t feel real because he was still okay."

Gayheart — who shares two daughters with the Grey's Anatomy alum — shared how she took the call in her closet to get some privacy.

"I was here at home with my youngest daughter — my home, that I share with just the girls, since Eric and I separated in September 2017 — and I’d gone into my closet to take the call, trying to be private," she explained.

"She was saying, 'Mommy, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?'" the former model continued. "I tried telling her, 'Honey, nothing. Everything’s fine,' because I couldn’t process it. I didn’t know all the details like I do now, but I knew enough about ALS to know that there wasn’t a cure."

Gayheart revealed his symptoms started about a year before he received the diagnosis, explaining, "When we would have a meal with the kids, he’d say things like, 'Something’s wrong with my hand.'"

"He was struggling to use his chopsticks, dropping his food," she elaborated. "That was when he started seeing doctors."

The Urban Legend actress divulged that he was "initially diagnosed with a few other things, but the actor had a "sinking feeling" something more serious was going on.

After nine months, Dane was officially diagnosed with the debilitating disease.

The Euphoria actor — who announced his ALS battle in April — sat down with Diane Sawyer to discuss the illness on Good Morning America in June.

Dane shared he only has one functioning arm. He's since been photographed in a wheelchair.

Gayheart opened up about standing by her ex-husband despite their separation during a November 17 appearance on the "Broad Ideas" podcast.

"We’ve been separated for eight years. The kids live with me 100 percent of the time," she shared. "There’s been lots of just stuff, other stuff...I try to stay optimistic, though, about it all. I’m trying to learn from it and [be a] role model for them [for] how to go through something like this, which is really hard."