Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Split After 17 Years of Marriage: Read Statement
UPDATE 6/17/23 12: 21 p.m. — McDermott has deleted his Instagram post announcing the pair’s separation, several hours after his initial upload.
Original story continues below:
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have called it quits after more than a decade of marriage.
“It’s with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children, that @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways and start a new journey of our own,” McDermott, 56, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, June 17, sharing throwback photos of the pair. “We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time. We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness. ??.”
Spelling, 50, has not publicly addressed the split, though stepped out with her now-estranged husband earlier this week for their daughter Stella’s 15th birthday party at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Several days prior, the duo brought their youngest four children — Stella, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, 6 — to the Stand for Kids Gala in Los Angeles. (They also share son Liam, 16.)
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum exchanged vows with McDermott in May 2006. Less than one month before their private ceremony in Fiji, Spelling finalized her divorce from actor and writer Charlie Shanian after two years of marriage. The former Chopped Canada host, for his part, was previously married to Mary Jo Eustace, with whom he shares 24-year-old son Jack. Both Spelling and McDermott have been open about cheating on their first spouses when they met on the set of Mind Over Murder in 2005.
In March 2021, the twosome sparked split rumors when Spelling was spotted without her wedding ring in Moorpark, California, just outside of Los Angeles. Three months later, speculation grew stronger after the actress revealed that she and McDermott were sleeping in separate beds. At the time, a source told Us Weekly that the pair were "having major issues."
As fans wondered whether the duo's marriage was on the rocks, both Spelling and the Pretty Hard Cases actor played coy about the rumors. By October 2021, a source told Us that the "90210MG" podcast host "want[ed] a divorce, but she [felt] trapped."
The Stori Telling author sparked further speculation in November 2021 when she posted a family holiday card via Instagram that didn't include her husband. “With Love, from our farm to your home! Xoxo, Tori & Family,” the card’s signature read. In a second photo, the actress hung personalized Christmas stockings on the family mantle, but there was notably no stocking for McDermott.
When an Instagram follower made a comment about the actor's absence, Spelling replied, "Fact: @imdeanmcdermott was filming his new feature film in Canada." Us later confirmed that the pair "spent Christmas as a family" and celebrated the 2021 holidays "under one roof."
Spelling and McDermott previously renewed their vows in May 2010, three years before Us broke the news that the Slasher star cheated on Spelling with another woman while filming in Canada. The aftermath of the scandal was documented for two seasons on their Lifetime reality series, True Tori, which aired in 2014.
When his infidelity made headlines, McDermott voluntarily checked himself into a rehab facility. The twosome eventually got their marriage back on track — but it wasn't easy.
"I thought that Tori was just going to run for the hills, and I could totally understand why," the Gourmet Dad cookbook author told Us exclusively in November 2019, reflecting on how he and Spelling conquered their issues. "But she was like, 'I just can't turn off the love for you. I love you. You hurt me. I'm angry, but I love you. I can't turn that off.' ... Every relationship is work, and when you get to that point, you can't bail. You got to knuckle under and work it out. It is hard."
The Masked Singer alum and McDermott haven't shied away from speaking about their ups and downs through the years — and they haven't been able to hide their past from their kids. In August 2020, Spelling revealed that one of her daughters got "really upset" after coming across stories about the duo's struggles online. The Last Sharknado: It's About Time actress also admitted at the time that infidelity was already her "biggest fear" before McDermott cheated.
"When it happened, I was like, 'See, I always thought from day one he was going to cheat on me.' And it wasn't about him, that was about me," the California native said on the "Women on Top" podcast. "I was like, 'OK, I know I'm not good enough.' That's how I felt about myself and one day he's going to realize that and he's gonna find someone else."
Before they called it quits, McDermott offered a bit of advice to couples who might be working through similar issues to what he and Spelling faced throughout their marriage.
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"Don't have a knee-jerk reaction," he told Us in November 2019. "I understand the knee-jerk reaction. I totally understand it, but look at your relationship outside of the kids if you have them. ... Just stop and breathe and look at the relationship and how much you mean to each other. And if that's not there, then go your separate ways. But if there's that flame, that kindred spirit, that connection, if it's still there, hash it out, work it out. It's not the end."
