In the most recent episode of her podcast MisSpelling, titled Miss TMI, Ms. Tori Spelling participated in a candid question-and-answer segment with her audience. During the discussion, the 52-year-old actress disclosed personal details regarding her prior marital relationship with Mr. Dean McDermott, aged 58.
Ms. Spelling revealed that Mr. McDermott had expressed a longstanding romantic interest in her, dating back to a period prior to their initial acquaintance. According to Ms. Spelling, her former spouse admitted that he would intentionally rush home in order to view her television appearances, indicating an early infatuation with her during her tenure on the series Beverly Hills, 90210.
Ms. Tori Spelling further elaborated on the intimate dynamics of her former marriage to Mr. Dean McDermott, stating that she once accommodated a specific role-play request by briefly embodying her well-known television character, Donna Martin, from Beverly Hills, 90210, during a consensual sexual encounter.
According to Ms. Spelling’s account, Mr. McDermott referred to her as “my little Donna Martin” during the encounter, a reference which she acknowledged with a lighthearted response, stating that she “might have giggled back like Donna,” suggesting a momentary participation in the nostalgic role-play scenario.
During the July 2025 episode of her podcast MisSpelling, actress and media personality Ms. Tori Spelling shared further personal reflections concerning her former marriage to Mr. Dean McDermott. Prefacing the anecdote, Ms. Spelling recounted that Mr. McDermott, at the time they met, openly disclosed having harbored a significant romantic interest in her, predating their relationship.
According to Ms. Spelling, Mr. McDermott routinely left his weekly hockey gatherings early, prompting teasing remarks from teammates in the locker room such as, “You gotta go home and see your girlfriend.” Mr. McDermott allegedly responded affirmatively, acknowledging without embarrassment that he watched Beverly Hills, 90210 and had a crush on Ms. Spelling, who portrayed the character Donna Martin.
Ms. Spelling, a mother of five—Liam (18), Stella (17), Hattie (13), Finn (12), and Beau (8)—whom she shares with Mr. McDermott, admitted that she initially questioned the authenticity of his claims, wondering whether the crush narrative was a form of flattery or strategic embellishment. However, she stated that the truth of his admiration became evident during an intimate moment in their marriage, when Mr. McDermott referred to her as “my little Donna Martin.” In response, Ms. Spelling recalled playfully giggling in character.
Despite having once participated in that form of role-play, Ms. Spelling later remarked that such a request, in a different context or with another partner, would be deeply unsettling to her. “If I were intimate with a man and he was like, ‘Will you role-play, like you act like Donna Martin?’ that would really creep me out,” she stated.
Ms. Spelling formally filed for dissolution of marriage from Mr. McDermott on March 29, 2024, citing irreconcilable differences. The date of separation was recorded as June 17, 2023. The couple, who married in 2006, experienced increasing marital strain in the later years of their union, for which Mr. McDermott has publicly accepted responsibility.#newsafro_
