Tori Spelling Says Split From Dean McDermott Was A Relief In Disguise
Tori Spelling recently shared her feelings of relief following the unexpected announcement of her split from Dean McDermott last year. On June 17, 2023, Dean, 57, posted on Instagram that the couple had decided to go their “separate ways” and “start a new journey” apart. Although the post was quickly deleted, it marked a turning point for the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 51.
In the latest episode of her podcast, misSPELLING, Tori revealed that Dean later apologized for the post and removed it. “He was reacting emotionally, and he was still drinking and, you know, he was in that spiral,” she recalled.
“But I gotta say, when I saw that post — inside, I was like, ‘Oh, thank god,’” she added.
Tori explained that while she had long wanted to end the marriage, she struggled to find the strength to do it herself. “Because… I don’t know if I could have done it. I want to do it. I want to be strong enough,” she said further.
After they were together for 18 years, Tori filed for divorce from Dean on March 29, citing irreconcilable differences. Court documents obtained by PEOPLE listed their official date of separation as June 17, 2023, the same day Dean posted about the split.
Tori is seeking sole physical custody of their five children — 17-year-old Liam Aaron, 16-year-old Stella Doreen, 12-year-old Hattie Margaret, 11-year-old Finn Davey, and 7-year-old Beau Dean — with joint legal custody and visitation rights for Dean to be determined later.
In an April episode of her podcast, Tori further detailed her reaction to Dean’s Instagram post. “I looked at [his post] and I’m not kidding you guys, I felt like this giant rock had been lifted off my chest,” she stated, adding, “I could breathe deeply, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. He said it. He said it, so now I’m free.'”
Tori went on to recount how Dean had allegedly threatened divorce “1 million times” throughout their marriage. “I don’t think I’ve ever threatened that, like, ever. And there were times where I desperately wanted it. But, like, I would never throw that in someone’s face if I didn’t actually mean it,” she stated.
Reflecting on the moment she saw Dean’s post, Tori said, “I didn’t have the balls to leave. I couldn’t do it and he did it. [I thought] ‘Now I can move on. He’s put it out there. Let’s go. Yes! I needed this,’ you know? Like, I couldn’t do it myself.”
