Highlights
- Tori Spelling stayed with McDermott for 18 years to protect their kids, despite wanting a divorce earlier.
- McDermott became an extra set of hands, and their marriage changed after starting a family.
- The couple faced persistent divorce rumors, and Spelling once admitted thoughts of divorce after 4 months.
Tori Spelling may have risen to fame as a cool teen star known for playing Donna Martin on Beverly Hills 90210, but her personal life has always outshined any acting roles. Fans wondered if Spelling and husband Dean McDermott were still talking after they shared that they decided to separate in the summer of 2023. She is open about everything, from her finances to when her daughter Stella was upset about her plastic surgery. It was only a matter of time before she would spill about her divorce.
According to People, when Tori Spelling launched her podcast misSPELLING in late March 2024, she shared a lot about wanting to file for divorce from Dean McDermott. While Hugh Jackman's divorce was the biggest in 2023, at the time of this writing, Spelling and McDermott's divorce could be considered the most memorable of 2024. In this article, we'll take a look at the reason why Spelling waited almost 20 years to file for divorce, along with the years of divorce rumors that they experienced.
Why Did Tori Spelling Stay Married To Dean McDermott Even Though She Wanted To Divorce Him?
In her first podcast episode, Tori Spelling explained that she stayed married to Dean McDermott to "protect" their five children. While it makes sense that she didn't want to cause her kids any pain, fans might be surprised that she stayed married to him for 18 years despite wanting to get divorced.
Spelling said:
"We always say, ‘Hey, it made it 18 years. It shouldn’t have made it 18 years. And I think he would say the same thing if he and I had a real heart-to-heart. It would have been over a lot sooner."
Spelling admitted that their marriage changed for the worse once they started their family. She called herself "the parent" and McDermott "an extra set of hands." Instead of embracing this big life change and doing things together, she felt "alone."
Who Are Tori Spelling And Dean McDermott's Children? (According to People)
- Beau Dean McDermott (7 years old)
- Finn Davey McDermott (11 years old)
- Hattie Magaret McDermott (12 years old)
- Stella Doreen McDermott (15 years old)
- Liam Aaron McDermott (17 years old)
While fans knew that the couple went through some challenging times, it's definitely surprising to hear that she thought about divorce for a long time and wasn't sure that they should stay together. In fact, Spelling even admitted that something felt off in their relationship after four months together. Since they were married for 18 years, that means that she felt unhappy for years.
Spelling explained:
"Honestly, our relationship was never the same after we started having kids. We always said, ‘We won’t be those parents that change. We’ll make sure we make our relationship a priority, the two of us. We have date nights.’ And everything went out the window. I became completely focused on the kids and kind of left him, in a way."
Dean McDermott And Tori Spelling's Relationship Timeline | Important Dates (According to People) |
|---|---|
first meeting on the set of the movie Mind Over Murder | 2005 |
got married | May 7th 2006 |
vow renewal | May 8th, 2010 |
McDermott said he was unfaithful to Spelling | 2014 |
McDermott proposed a second time | April 2016 |
McDermott posted on social media that the couple was breaking up | June 17th 2023 |
Spelling filed for divorce | March 29, 2024 |
RelatedAndy Cohen Insulted Tori Spelling Multiple Times, Including When He Said She Could Never Be A Real Housewife
Tori Spelling wasn't thrilled when Andy Cohen made a few negative comments about her.
What Else Did Tori Spelling Share About Her Marriage In Her Debut Podcast Episode?
- McDermott drank too much
- McDermott had "anger issues"
- Spelling made him into a "Prince Charming"
It was shocking to hear Tori Spelling say that she had thought about getting divorced for 16 years. It was also surprising that she called Dean McDermott during the podcast recording to say she had officially filed papers. But since the couple was always committed to parenting their five kids despite any issues or tension, it seems likely that will continue.
Inside Tori Spelling And Dean McDermott's Divorce Rumors
While Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott often painted a happy picture of their life as a family of seven, it was often clear that something was wrong. For one thing, the couple faced rumors about divorce for several years. Of course, celebrities face those kinds of rumors all the time. But if there are persistent rumors about a certain pair, sometimes it seems like there must be a reason for it.
According to Today.com, Spelling was interviewed on the SiriusXM radio show Jeff Lewis Live in 2021 and answered a question about not sleeping in the same bed as McDermott. She said that she slept with her dogs and children in the same bedroom and explained that it was because he was traveling and working so they got used to that arrangement.
Who Did Dean McDermott Date After Tori Spelling? (According to People)
- Lily Calo
- photographed together in October 2023
However, fans still wondered if everything was okay with their marriage, as Spelling opened up about hard times in the past.
RelatedTori Spelling And Dean McDermott Got A Free House From Candy Spelling, But It Didn't Last
Tori Spelling's mom is said to have gifted her a home, but unfortunately, the $2 million estate didn't fix Tori's problems.
That same year, a source explained to Us Weekly that things weren't good between the couple. The source said:
“It’s gotten really bad and those close to them feel it won’t last much longer... There’s a lot of tension built up.”
Considering that McDermott and Spelling were married to other people when they met and began seeing each other, it's no wonder that they have faced rumors about their rocky relationship for a long time.
In 2013, McDermott cheated on Spelling, which also contributed to problems in their marriage. She said in an interview with E! News that she was very affected by this. She said, “I can 100 percent move past the infidelity. The stuff that I cannot move past is the behaviors in the relationship — the things that weren’t being communicated, the anger in the relationship — things that really had nothing to do with infidelity itself.”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGirqKqZYsCxsculoKefXZmyorqMppqdnaKivLXAjKucpZmknryvv8eip2acmau8s6%2FEaA%3D%3D