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Sandra Bullock Reveals the Private Pain She Faced Before Bryan Randall’s Death

Sandra Bullock has opened up about the private years she spent caring for her longtime partner, photographer Bryan Randall, before his death from ALS in 2023. According to Fox News , Bullock, 62, discussed Randall’s…

Andrew PowellAug 20, 20263 min read

ALS Faith Sandra bullock U.S. News

Sandra bullock has opened up about the private years she spent caring for her longtime partner, photographer Bryan Randall, before his death from ALS in 2023.

According to Fox News, Bullock, 62, discussed Randall’s illness during an appearance on the "SmartLess" podcast, explaining why she kept the diagnosis private for years.

She said Randall asked her not to publicly disclose that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

"I wasn't allowed to speak about it. That was the request, and I honored it," Bullock said.

Randall had been dealing with the disease for much of the couple’s relationship, Bullock said.

His diagnosis came around the same time the COVID-19 pandemic began, leaving her to manage his illness while also caring for their children during a period of widespread uncertainty.

Bullock said the diagnosis was not immediately clear because ALS

can present in different ways.

Doctors spent about a year evaluating his symptoms and ruling out other possibilities before determining what he was facing.

"His was not hereditary," Bullock said, describing that as "a huge sigh of relief."

The actress said Randall’s decision to keep his condition private also left her with few people to turn to. For a period, she said, only her sister knew about his illness, and she was even afraid to tell close friends.

"I wasn't even allowed to tell Amanda [Anka]," Bullock said, referring to the wife of actor Jason Bateman.

Bullock said caring for Randall became especially difficult because her two children, Louis and Laila, were also aware that something was changing. She worked with child therapists to help them understand what was happening as Randall’s condition progressed.

"They could see, they have eyes," Bullock said. "They are very, very astute kids."

She also described becoming intensely focused on Randall’s care, from making sure he was comfortable to coordinating nurses and managing pain.

Bullock said she began grieving Randall before his death because she recognized that his illness was changing him physically and emotionally.

"I started grieving Bryan four years before he passed," she said. "Something in me said, start the grieving now because I knew I would be the caregiver."

Randall died Aug. 5, 2023, at age 57 after a three-year battle with ALS.

His family said at the time that he had chosen to keep his illness private and asked for continued privacy as they mourned.

Bullock and Randall began dating in 2015 after meeting when Randall photographed her son Louis’ birthday party earlier that year.