Eric Dane fights back tears as he reveals heartbreaking effect ALS has had on his body following shock diagnosis

Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane says one area of his body has 'completely stopped working' following his ALS diagnosis.

The actor, 52, broke the news of his devastating health battle - which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but is sometimes known as Lou Gehrig's disease - back in April.

For those unfamiliar with the condition, ALS is a rare degenerative disease, a variation of motor neurone disease that causes muscular weakness, particularly in the arms and legs.

While the condition sadly worsens over time, it also inflicts a range of symptoms depending on the individual, and most commonly causes patients trip and drop things.

In other individuals, however, it can result in difficulty walking or carrying out basic tasks, slurred speech or trouble swallowing, bizarrely-timed crying, and laughing and mental changes.

In father-of-two Dane's case, it is the entire right side of his body that has been most severely affected by his diagnosis, he revealed in a heartbreaking new interview this week.

Breaking down in tears, he went on to disclose the impact, more specifically, that ALS has left him with 'one functioning arm'.

"My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working," the TV star told journalist Diane Sawyer during an appearance on Good Morning America yesterday (16 June).

"I feel like maybe a couple more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering."

While blindsided by the effects the condition has had on his arms, he admitted to being 'worried' about ALS taking hold of his legs.

He went on to recall a recent moment during a boat trip with one of his daughters, where he jumped into the water without having realised he 'couldn't swim' anymore.

"I realized in the moment that I'm not safe in the water anymore," the actor continued.

"She dragged me back to the boat, and I was breaking down in tears."

During the interview, Dane - who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart - also went on to recall the first symptom he endured as part of his diagnosis.

"I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand," the San Francisco-born star continued.

"I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse."

The Euphoria actor claims he subsequently booked appointments with a number of 'hand specialists', after which he was referred to a series of neurologists, one of whom he alleges told him, 'This is way above my pay grade'.

Eventually, he was diagnosed with ALS.

"I will never forget those three letters," Dane added of the initial blow. "It's on me the second I wake up. It's not a dream."

He also went on to claim that the most heartbreaking aspect of his condition how he fears it'll affect the wellbeing of his children.

"I'm angry, because my father was taken from me when I was young," he continued.

"And now there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young.

"At the end of the day, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit, if I can."