Inside Tori Spelling's Messy Split From Her First Husband

In 2004, Tori Spelling married actor-writer Charlie Shanian at her parents' home in Los Angeles, California, per the Herald-Tribune. Spelling was 31 years old at the time, while Shanian was 35. The two had met while performing in Shanian's play, "Maybe, Baby It's You." Just 15 months after their wedding, Shanian filed for divorce from Spelling and requested spousal support, People reported. At the time, Spelling was away filming the made-for-TV movie "Mind Over Murder" in Ottawa, Canada.

After Shanian filed for divorce, Spelling shared that she was "disappointed" by the breakup and stated, "I went into the marriage with the best intentions, hopes and dreams. I feel that I've really disappointed people. I've disappointed everyone who came to my wedding. I'm disappointed in myself."

However, a source close to Spelling revealed she and Shanian had been living apart prior to her leaving for Ottawa. The insider added that Spelling and her "Mind Over Murder" co-star Dean McDermott had already gotten close. Soon after Spelling and Shanian's split, the "Beverly Hills 90210" actor got engaged to McDermott in December 2005. The following April, Spelling and Shanian's divorce was finalized — but their drama was not over yet.

Two years after his divorce from Tori Spelling, Charlie Shanian penned a lengthy essay for GQ that described how their marriage ended (via People). He recalled Spelling's treatment toward him, and wrote, "She picked a fight with me at a party, told me she needed 'time and space,' and was gone before I could comprehend what had happened." Shanian described how he and Spelling met at her therapist's office, where he learned that she was not happy with him. "[Spelling] only married me because I loved her and took care of her; she had purposefully shown me only 10 percent of her true personality; and, oh yeah, while in Canada, she'd cheated on me with her latest Lifetime-movie costar."

Shanian went on to write that when he read his ex-wife's comments to People, he was devastated to see their marriage depicted as her being a "lovelorn wife trapped in an unhappy marriage." However, what hurt him the most was learning that she was never in love with him. Following their split, the two cut ties completely, but years later, Spelling attempted to get closure.

In Tori Spelling's 2014 season of her reality show, "True Tori," she revisited old wounds when she realized she needed to make amends with her ex-husband Charlie Shanian (via the Daily Mail). She revealed that the last time she saw him was when she told him she was leaving him for Dean McDermott during a joint session with her therapist Dr. Ann Wexler.

Although her meeting with Shanian wasn't filmed for her show, Spelling was seen crying as she left. "He told me how he felt. It made me feel sad that he had to come to grips with what I said. ...He's a good man," she said at the time. Spelling later shared with McDermott the emotions she felt after leaving her meeting with her ex-husband. "It felt like family, safe, nurtured by, and then it felt like a loss. I remember how safe I felt with him. When I left I just suddenly felt really alone and I don't know why," she cried. When asked if she regretted leaving Shanian, Spelling answered by stating that he was a "good man."

Spelling and McDermott have had many ups and downs over the years, including his infidelity in 2013, per Us Weekly. Despite speculation that the two had recently split, McDermott told The U.S. Sun in November 2022, "Everything is amazing. Everything's great. We're having a lot of fun." Spelling shared a snap of the whole family celebrating New Year's Eve, proving to fans that they're still together.