Actor Eric Dane proposed to his wife Rebecca Gayheart on a whim after she dared him to make her his wife.

The Grey's Anatomy star reveals he was terrified to pop the question to Gayheart, but insists it was the best decision he made because the impulsive gesture led to a wedding that night.

He explains, "We were having dinner at a restaurant and she asked me if I ever did anything impulsive and I said, 'Like what? Ask someone to marry me?' and she said, 'Yeah, something like that,' and I said, 'Do you want to marry me...?'

"I was terrified and she said, 'Yes,' I said, 'Cheque,' we got the cheque, jumped in my car, we got the last flight out of Los Angeles to Las Vegas. We've been happily married ever since and we have two beautiful little girls."

The couple eloped in 2004. The stars are parents to daughters Billie, four, and Georgia, two.