Add Rebecca Gayheart to the list of celebrity moms who keep it real. It’s been seven months since the 47-year-old filed for divorce from Eric Dane, and she admitted that coparenting their daughters Billie, 8, and Georgia, 6, can be tricky.
“We do our best,” Gayheart told Us Weekly at the Giving Keys’ retail store opening party in Los Angeles. “I think that we’re, you know, I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy all the time. But we’re doing OK.” (Gayheart and the Grey’s Anatomy alum were married for 14 years. She requested both legal and joint custody of the children in her February filing.)
The mom of two also opened up to Us about the scene that unfolded at home before she headed out to the event. “ One of my daughters really did not want me to leave and I told her that this was important for me and I left,” the Scream 2 actress revealed. “But I have so much guilt. Like, I’m thinking about it every second.” But Gayheart was determined to enjoy her night.
“At the end of the day, I know my daughter is safe, I know she has a roof over her head, I know she’s gonna have great food for dinner and there’s someone who loves her and will put her to bed nicely,” explained the star. “And tomorrow morning, I’m driving her to school. I have her every day of my life, so she will survive tonight.”
Gayheart noted that she hopes she is setting a good example. “Hopefully she’ll learn that I value myself and my self-care enough to sometimes step away,” the Kentucky native mused. “And hopefully she will learn to do that for herself.”
For now, Gayheart is happily single — “no dating! I hang out with girlfriends” — and she’s focusing on her charity work. Gayheart was an honoree at the Los Angeles-based jewelry company’s retail opening. (The shop, which is located near shelters, will employ men and women who are transitioning out of homelessness.)
The Giving Keys partnered with Chrysalis, a nonprofit near that Gayheart has been involved with for nearly two decades. “It’s an organization that helps the homeless find jobs,” Gayheart told Us. “They walk through our doors and we offer them a real solution to their problem — not just a Band-Aid. To end homelessness we need to give people jobs, which then gives them their dignity and hope. We have a very high success rate.”
With reporting by Emily Marcus.
