Most people would probably be embarrassed to have a private video leak online. However, Eric Dane is not most people. The former Grey’s Anatomy star recently addressed a 2009 leaked video showing himself and then-wife Rebecca Gayheart naked in a bathtub with another woman. He told Glamour he wasn’t bothered by the leak — not anymore, anyway.
“I didn’t regret it,” the 46-year-old actor said. “I have no regrets nor do I make any apologies for my life experience. It’s my life experience and I am at peace with all of it.”
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Dane previously spoke about the incident, calling it his “one regret” in 2014, according to Us Weekly. He told Glamour he didn’t mean the video itself, but rather some of the comments that were made in it.
“I often think about that answer I gave. And looking back now, was it a mistake? Absolutely not,” he said. “Three consenting adults, one of them being my wife? I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was most likely referring to the drug use that was alluded to in the video, and was that a mistake? Again, I don’t necessarily think I was breaking any laws or corrupting anybody.”
Dane added, “We were just three people taking a bath.”
The video made headlines when it was released. Per Us Weekly‘s reporting, it showed Dane, Gayheart and former Miss United States Kari Ann Peniche naked in a tub. Dane’s lawyer said at the time it was “not a ‘sex tape,’” but rather “a private, consensual moment involving a married couple, shot several years ago, which was never intended to be seen in public.”
Dane and Gayheart filed a $1 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Gawker Media for publishing the video on its Defamer blog. The lawsuit was filed in 2010, according to Us Weekly. The couple reportedly received a settlement in the six-figure range.
Gayheart, known for appearing on Once Upon a Time, filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018. They had been married for 14 years and had two daughters: Billie, 9, and Georgia, 7. In June, PEOPLE reported that the pair received warnings about finalizing their divorce quickly, or risking having it thrown out.
The Superior Court of Los Angeles county filed notices to Gayheart and Dane including the steps necessary for their divorce to be finalized. Supervising Judge Thomas Lewis said the court “may dismiss” the case “for delay in prosecution” if they did not provide the necessary documents.
