Less than a year ago, Dean McDermott lived with his wife Tori Spelling – the daughter of a multimillionaire – in the private enclave of Hidden Hills, counting the Kardashians and Jenners as neighbors.
But now she’s in the middle of divorcing the Beverly Hills 90210 star, standing in line at a government welfare office and living in a rental house in the San Fernando Valley with four male roommates.
But there is one bright spot in McDermott’s new life: The essential actor has a new girlfriend – revealed for the first time in these exclusive DailyMail.com photos.
McDermott and his mystery new crush were snapped holding hands as they headed to the West Valley Department of Social Services office in Chatsworth on Tuesday, just an hour before it closed at 5 p.m.
The cash-strapped 56-year-old Canadian appears to have fallen on hard times and was forced to resort to government assistance after splitting from Spelling in June.
Dean McDermott was first spotted with his new girlfriend during a trip to a welfare office in Los Angeles
The 56-year-old was snapped holding hands with a pixie-cut mystery brunette as she clutched a pile of envelopes as they headed to the West Valley Department of Social Services office in Chatsworth
McDermott, who announced his split from wife Tori Spelling in June, was casually dressed in a black T-shirt, ripped jeans and biker boots
McDermott was dressed casually in a simple black T-shirt, worn blue jeans and biker boots, and was clutching a stack of white envelopes to take to the government facility.
Interestingly, he was missing the $1,250 Balenciaga fan he was seen wearing during an outing in LA last month.
His new brunette companion wore a pixie cut and an army green jumpsuit paired with Converse high tops.
McDermott has been out of the dating scene for nearly two decades, but his girlfriend doesn’t seem to mind the couple going to a government office to apply for benefits.
The pair were seen queuing outside the building, at one point getting cozy as his partner helped make sure he filled out his paperwork correctly.
Unlike the others in line, Dean seemed in good spirits and could be heard laughing and cracking jokes as he waited.
The cash-strapped Canadian actor appears to have fallen on hard times following his split from the 90120 star earlier this year
Tori and Dean’s financial problems have hit the headlines several times during their 18-year marriage, but it seems their split has forced McDermott to rely on government help
At one point, Dean got cozy with his girlfriend while waiting in line, as she helped make sure he filled out the paperwork correctly
The couple seemed to be flying under the radar, with no one online recognizing the former reality star.
Instead, it was mostly just talk of a particularly large crowd due to the office being closed the previous day for Indigenous People’s Day.
There was a homeless encampment on the street right in front of the building, and some of the cars that drove up to the parking lot were battered and their fenders had fallen off.
It was clear that the government office was the last resort for Los Angeles residents in need of emergency financial assistance, food stamps and rental vouchers.
After about 40 minutes McDermott and his girlfriend were released by security and then put through a metal detector.
They showed up after just 15 minutes and drove up to the neat two-story, five-bed, three-bath, 2,500-square-foot, pool house that Dean shares with four roommates in the Valley.
Similar homes on his block cost between $6,000 and $9,000 a month, so his share of the rent is likely at least $1,000.
Meanwhile, estranged wife Tori Spelling, 50, celebrated their daughter Hattie Margaret’s 12th birthday on social media on Tuesday.
After waiting in line for about 40 minutes, the couple were let into the building by security and then put through a metal detector.
The queue outside the social services office was particularly long on Tuesday after it was closed the previous day in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day
Tori and Dean married in 2006 and filed for divorce earlier this year. They have five children together, Liam (16), Stella (15), Hattie (12), Finn (11) and Beau (6)
The mother-of-five captioned the post: ‘My cat Hetty is 12 years old today…Beauty, kindness, humor, creativity, strength, wisdom, bravery…this is the magical man that Hetty is.’
Tori and Dean’s troubled marriage appeared to be on the way until June 16 when the actor announced they had split in a quickly-deleted social media post.
In addition to the obvious marital strife, the couple also famously endured their fair share of money woes, racking up thousands of dollars in debt and facing multiple lawsuits from credit card companies over unpaid bills — which Spelling attributed to “bad shopping habits.”
Growing up, Tori, whose father Aaron Spelling was one of Hollywood’s most successful producers, famously lived in the second largest home in the entire country. Los Angeles.
But her relationship with her parents became severely strained after she left first husband Charlie Shanyan to marry Dean in 2005. When her father died the following year, he infamously left her just $800,000 of his $600 million fortune.
At the height of their spending spree as a couple, Tori and Dean were shelling out $16,000 a month for a gated hilltop property in the Sherwood Lakes section of Ventura County.
Tori and Dean infamously left each of their spouses and tied the knot after an affair in 2005.
In June, McDermott announced his split from Tori on Instagram, but the post was removed less than 24 hours later
As Dean queued for government help on Tuesday, Tori took to Instagram to wish her daughter Hattie a happy 12th birthday
Tori’s wealthy mother Candy Spelling, 78, stepped in to pay for what she called their ‘necessities’ such as housing, food, health insurance and more when the couple’s finances dried up.
While Candy reportedly continues to support her daughter, it now appears that Dean is on his own when it comes to finances.
With the recent SAG-AFTRA strike, any acting gigs are unlikely to come his way.
His other side gigs, such as stand-up comedian and chef, also didn’t pan out.
Dean divorced his first wife, Canadian TV presenter Mary Jo Eustace, 61, after he met Tori on the set of the Lifetime TV movie Mind Over Murder in 2005. They have a son, Jack McDermott, 25.
Tori and Dean married in 2006 and filed for divorce earlier this year. They have five children together, Liam (16), Stella (15), Hattie (12), Finn (11) and Beau (6).
EXCLUSIVE: Tori Spelling’s estranged husband Dean McDermott, 56, is seen holding hands with new girlfriend during trip to LA welfare office
