Rebecca Gayheart and ex-husband Eric Dane spent Labor Day goofing around with daughters Billie, 8, and Georgie, 6, during a beach day in Malibu. To passerby, the former couple and their children looked like the poster family for coparenting. But Gayheart, 47, admitted some days it’s a struggle.

“We’re doing our best. It isn’t easy,” the actress told Us Weekly at the Baby Ball in Los Angeles. “But we are trying and we are committed.” When asked about the most difficult aspect of coparenting, Gayheart replied, “There are so many things.”

Gayheart and the Grey’s Anatomy alum, 45, were married for 14 years. She requested both legal and joint custody of their girls in her February 2017 divorce filing.

Though ending a marriage is painful, Gayheart sees a silver lining.

“I think that as a female you need to be able too always take care of of yourself and never depend on a man,” Gayheart told Us. “I’m going back to work and I think it’s partly because I want my daughters to see me work. I took some time off to have my kids.”

The former model added that she finds some of the messages in Disney movies to be problematic. “A lot of little girls watch and they start fantasizing about Prince Charming [saving them],” she explained. “I think that’s a message that’s very old fashioned.”

Meanwhile, Gayheart attended AdoptTogether’s event in support of her pals Lindsay Price and Curtis Stone. (The nonprofit helps families fund adoptions, which can cost up to $50,000 per the organization’s website.)

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“Family is everything and they’re making it financially possible for families to adopt kids,” Gayheart told Us. “I have lots of friends who have adopted and it’s just nice to see a spotlight being put on how difficult it is.” 

With reporting by Kayley Stumpe

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