Rebecca Gayheartis opening up about a tragic moment from her past.
OnThe Only One in the Roompodcast, Gayheart, 47, discussed the 2001 car accident that resulted in the death of a 9-year-old boy, Jorge Cruz Jr.
“I had a very terrible accident happen. A 9-year-old child died. And, you know, everything changed from that, and, I still have trouble talking about it,” she explained.
Cruz died from the injuries sustained the following day, and Gayheart paid the family $10,000 for funeral expenses.
“I just didn’t understand; I didn’t understand any of it, like, I had led, you know, sort of a charmed life up until then, even though I grew up dirt poor,” she added, noting that she had a great career, family and friends. “It just turned my world upside down and I lost faith in everything, like, I questioned God, like, ‘Why me? Why Jorge?’”
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The actress was married toGrey’s AnatomystarEric Danefrom 2004 until last year, when shefiled for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The pair have two children, Billie, 9 and Georgia, 7.
And 18 years since the accident, Gayheart is still grappling with what happened.
“I struggle with the ‘Why?’ still,” she explained. “I still replay it in my head of, ‘Had I stopped at the gas station, maybe I wouldn’t have been on that street.’ You know, those things never go away. They stay with you forever and I did not cope very well after. Listen, I just didn’t want to live after that accident.”
However, the actress has found both happiness and further success in her life, and tries to keep a positive mindset.
“Today, I am able to ponder those questions and still realize that I deserve to be happy,” she concluded. “That I am meant to be on this planet and that I have a purpose and I’m making, living amends for that, even though it was an accident.”
source: people.com
