Eric Dane’s health struggles explored as Grey’s Anatomy star reveals ALS diagnosis

Eric Dane is now opening up about his new struggles in an exclusive interview with People Magazine. He has been diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is a neurodegenerative disorder where one loses the control of their muscles. Over time, it becomes difficult for the person to move on their own or even eat.

During his interview, the "Private Practice" actor said,

"I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter."

The actor, who is known for his brilliant portrayal of Dr. Mark Sloan in the fan-favorite medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," is set to return to shooting as the troubled businessman and father, Cal Jacobs, in the hit series "Euphoria," which is set to begin filming season three next week.

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”

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More about Eric Dane's health struggles, as actor reveals new diagnosis

Eric Dane has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, named after Henry Louis Gehrig, the baseball legend who also suffered from the condition.

But this is not the first time the "Little Dixie" actor has been diagnosed with a threatening condition. Dane, who was diagnosed with a malignant tissue on his lips back in 2008, revealed to OK! Magazine how his diagnosis came about.

"I went to my dermatologist. He said it was malignant tissue caused by sun damage."

He further added that he had a special procedure done to treat the growth and stop it from spreading.

"My skin is very sensitive and my lip was traumatised by the procedure I had to go through. I didn't eat very well for a couple of weeks and lost a bunch of weight."

The procedure was successful, and Eric Dane later admitted that he had led a reckless life in his youth, adding that it probably contributed to the condition, saying:

"This is probably something that happened so long ago, but you past the point of no return with this stuff. I wasn't so vigilant then, I am now. And I think everybody should be."

In 2017, the "Dangerous Waters" actor took a sudden and short sabbatical from work while he was filming the then-upcoming third season of "The Last Ship," as he was suffering from a mental health issue.

Eric Dane later opened up about the reason for the sabbatical in a statement from his representative. It said:

"I was dealing with some depression, which was kind of odd to me. I felt very conflicted about it, because I didn't feel like I had anything to be depressed about. However, that didn't have anything to do with it. Clinical depression doesn't require a reason to be sad."

He further added:

"It's a very serious thing. Like I said, I felt very conflicted because I couldn't figure out what I was depressed about, but it's very real. And that was the scary thing — when you wake up and you're like, 'I don't want to get out of bed.'"

Eric Dane has also been open about his struggles with addiction to pain medications, which developed after he started taking them for a sports injury years back. In an interview, the actor admitted to relapsing just before he was cast on "Grey's Anatomy," despite being sober for four years.

In his appearance on the "Armchair Expert Podcast" with Dax Shepard, Dane said:

"If you take the whole eight years I was on Grey's Anatomy, I was f**ked up longer than I was sober, and that was when things started going sideways for me."

He further added:

"I had my wits about me and I sort of knew what reality was and what reality wasn't, and I was able to differentiate between the two, and I was able to sort of conceptualize what that was, keep it in its place, enjoy it, dip in every now and again and come back."

He also revealed during the conversation that he suffered from body image issues and could not understand the love fans had for his character, Dr. Sloan. Adding that this self-doubt further pushed him towards his destructive tendencies, he said:

"My exterior did not match my interior. That was weird for me because I never saw myself as that. It was a real source of self-doubt. I felt fraudulent."

Eric Dane later checked into rehab in 2011, and the next year he was fired from the show after his character was killed off following injuries incurred during a plane crash.

"They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help. I wasn’t the same guy they had hired. So I had understood when I was let go."

Eric Dane, who has now been diagnosed with ALS, is married to actress Rebecca Gayheart. Although the couple are separated, they share a close relationship and are parents of two children.