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Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's Marriage Is "Over" as She Plans to File for Divorce

Following months of breakup rumors, a source tells E! News that Tori Spelling plans to legally end her marriage to Dean McDermott after 15 years of marriage.

By Corinne Heller Nov 24, 2021 9:32 PMTags
Watch: Dean McDermott Fiercely Defends Wife Tori Spelling After Backlash

When Tori Spelling shared her 2021 family Christmas card on Instagram, people couldn't help but notice someone was missing. Again. It was her husband, Dean McDermott.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum explained in the comments that the actor was "filming his new feature film" in his native Canada when the photo was taken. The movie, My Fake Boyfriend, was filmed over the summer. Tori's post and response did little to quell ongoing breakup rumors that have swirled for much of the year, and a subsequent post that showed personalized Christmas stockings for only Tori and the pair's five children, fueled them further.

"The marriage is over and has been for a very long time now," a source close to the actress told E! News. "Tori has met with her lawyers and is planning to file very soon. She's trying to work it all out and make sure she is financially OK first."

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The source continued, "It's for the best and has been a long time coming. They have been trying to work it out for years for the sake of the kids but they truly do not get along. They have been sleeping in different rooms for months and haven't considered themselves to be 'married' for a while now. Tori's ready for a fresh new start but is trying to be strategic about it."

Reps for the couple had no immediate comment when reached by E! News, but this isn't the first time they've faced marital strife. In 2013, Dean was involved in a cheating scandal that almost derailed the couple's marriage and resulted in his seeking sex-addiction treatment.

Rachel Luna/Getty Images, Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment

Fresh rumors of turmoil between the two circulated online this past March, after Tori, 48, was photographed without her wedding ring as she and her kids visited a farm. Dean explained on the Feminine Warrior podcast the following September that his wife "took it off because she washed her hands and forgot to put it back on."

In a June interview on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live, Tori was asked if she and Dean were sleeping in the same bed. She responded, "Right now, my kids and dogs sleep in my bed," adding that her husband was "in a room." She explained that the bedroom situation changed when he was away filming and had not changed back: "Since he left—this is not good you guys—but since he left, he was gone for six months filming in another country."

In October, when The Wendy Williams Show guest host Whitney Cummings asked Tori how her relationship was going, she declined to say.

Dean has been largely absent from Tori's Instagram for a while. He also did not pose for the family's Christmas card last year either, although the actress held up a tablet bearing a picture of him and commented that he was "away for work." The actor, who filmed the Canadian series Pretty Hard Cases between summer and winter 2020, did receive a personalized stocking.

Dean does not appear in person in any of the actress' Instagram grid photos since her June 2020 Father's Day tribute to him. There is no such 2021 post in his honor.

Dean last shared an image of Tori on his own Instagram in August 2020. The previous May, he paid tribute to her on their anniversary. This past May, he shared no similar message on their 15th anniversary, nor did he include her in a sponsored Mother's Day post. Last week, Dean did not include Tori in a video showing him opening presents from their kids for his 55th birthday, although she liked the post.

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