As Carina covered the other day, Dean McDermott tweeted and deleted a divorce announcement about his relationship with Tori Spelling. (Grammed and deleted just doesn’t have the same ring to it.) I was surprised to realize they were even still together. But despite their inauspicious start, they have been together for 17 years and are, apparently, officially planning to pull the plug now. At least, that’s the narrative that Dean is trying to get out there. Although he deleted the Instagram announcement, he really wants to end the marriage and is “100 percent serious.”

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott may be going their separate ways.

The 56-year-old actor is “100 percent serious” about his desire to split from the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum despite deleting an Instagram post announcing their separation, a source tells PEOPLE.

“[Dean] 100 percent wants to get out of the marriage. He took down the post because Tori didn’t want him to keep it up. But he’s packing his bags and is 100 percent serious about it,” the source says.

According to the insider, McDermott hasn’t moved out from their shared home due to financial reasons as he has yet to find an apartment he can “afford.”

“He can’t take it anymore. He told her he’s done,” they added.

Last Friday night, McDermott took to Instagram to share a since-deleted post that broke the news of their separation after 18 years of marriage.

“It’s with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children, that @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways, and start a new journey of our own,” he captioned several photos of himself and Spelling with their children.

“We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time,” he continued. “We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness.”

A rep for McDermott and Spelling did not respond to requests for comment.

Spelling and McDermott got married on May 7, 2006, and renewed their vows on May 8. 2010. The pair welcomed five children during their marriage: daughters Stella Doreen, 14, Hattie Margaret, 11; and sons Liam Aaron, 16, Finn Davey, 10, and Beau Dean, 6.

In December 2021, multiple sources told PEOPLE that the couple’s marriage was under strain after Spelling posted a holiday card on Instagram where McDermott was notably absent.

Though she clarified in the comments that her husband was “filming his new feature film in Canada” when the photo was taken, a source said that she and McDermott were “not in a good place and have been evaluating their relationship” at the time.

“It’s been very chilly between them for a long time. They have been through the wringer before, but they’ve always gotten out of it,” the source said. “They’ve been living separate lives. They will still have family meals and occasional outings, but it’s for the kids.”

[From People]

So although it sounded like a (publicist-drafted) joint “amicable” divorce announcement, Tori didn’t want it up. Dean posting it without her knowledge is… pretty rude. But again, it’s not that surprising. After all, they’ve been trying to divorce each other for years. The waffling of the deletion isn’t that surprising, nor is the backtracking to People to confirm that yes, in fact, Dean does want a divorce. These guys have as much trouble keeping their stories straight as they do with keeping their finances in check. Anyway, the estranged couple is still living together because like other divorcing D-listers, Dean doesn’t have the money for his own place. People points out he can’t even find an apartment he can afford. I’m not sure if that’s more indicative of his financial mismanagement and lack of work or the current state of the real estate market. It’s rough out there! Anyway, I agree with Carina that it’s going to get messy and if this early info is any indication, the two are going to be slapping at each other in the press in no time. They definitely need the attention.

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