Dean McDermott celebrated a monumental achievement last week: one year of sobriety.
The 57-year-old actor celebrated his achievement on Instagram with a photo of what appeared to be his sobriety chips, a drawing commemorating his achievement, and a sweet card.
In the caption, he thanked his treatment center for “saving my life” and assured those struggling with addiction that a “beautiful life awaits them” once they pursue recovery.
“Last week was an incredible week of love, hugs and healing. Thank you to my sponsor, my Sponsee Brothers and everyone in the fellowship for celebrating my 1 year anniversary,” Dean – who is now a drug and alcohol counselor – wrote in the caption.
‘A special thanks to @_harmonyplace J, D and H for saving my life. If you are struggling with addiction, please surrender and ask for help. We are waiting to love you, until you love yourself. A beautiful life awaits you. Just reach out. #recovery #change.’
Dean McDermott celebrated a monumental achievement last week: a year of sobriety
McDermott, pictured with his estranged wife Tori Spelling, celebrated the achievement on Instagram
It came just months after McDermott revealed he had become a drug and alcohol counselor.
McDermott said in an interview with Page six.
“I’m clean and sober… I got to a point where I finally surrendered and admitted I needed help,” he told the publication.
“The way I was living my life, the way I was running the show, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good for anybody — myself, my family, and Tori. It was a horrible way to live. So I finally surrendered and asked for help, and I got it.”
McDermott also raved about his new girlfriend Lily Calo, 32 — who he’s been linked to since October 2023 — for being a great support system. He also praised his ex Tori, 51, calling his estranged wife his “biggest supporter.”
The couple, who split in 2023 and are now going through a divorce, have two children: Liam (17), Beau (7), Finn (11), Hattie (12) and Stella (16).
In November last year, McDermott told DailyMail.com in an exclusive worldwide interview how their marriage imploded as the couple drifted apart, their problems exacerbated by his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.
“Tori, to this day, has only ever wanted me to be happy and healthy, but I have caused that woman a lot of pain and damage,” he told DailyMail.com.
McDermott is now in a new romantic relationship after his split from Spelling – he is dating Lily Calo
By the time he hit rock bottom, Dean says the pair were living like “roommates” plagued by money worries and paparazzi, while he was deeply depressed and spent nights alone drinking tequila and drugs, and had alcohol-fueled rages that “paralyzed” his wife and children.
He said he was going to pass out, as a concerned Tori watched him to make sure he was still alive.
Dean said: ‘Alcohol made me feel good. I started to feel good enough until it got to a point where it didn’t – it ended in isolation.
‘It came down to me drinking a fifth of tequila and a handful of drugs every night, seven days a week [prescription meds] alone with a beautiful family in the other room.
In November last year, McDermott told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview how his marriage to Tori imploded as they drifted apart – their problems were made worse by his addiction to drink and prescription drugs; photo 2018
“That’s what it led to and that’s what led to the brokenness and what happened between me and Tori.
“I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t live that life anymore. I was sick of the anger and the yelling.”
Despite that and his new relationship with Texan Lily, Dean says he still loves Tori and has no regrets about their life together.
Tori filed for divorce from Dean in March, after 10 months of separation and 18 years of marriage.
Spelling lists June 17, 2023 as the date of the divorce and cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce.
McDermott with his now-estranged wife Tori in 2018
She requested sole physical custody of their five minor children, but also asked for joint legal custody.
Weeks later, McDermott responded by requesting joint physical and legal custody, as set forth in Page six, on their children.
Dean also requested spousal support for himself and asked the court to terminate spousal support for Tori, which was in line with her original request.
Despite the legal wrangling, McDermott recently praised Tori as a “very evolved” and “loving person” when he defended her against an Instagram troll.
The actor made an official Instagram post about his new girlfriend Lil in May and Tori showed her support by liking the post.
One commenter found Tori’s support “mind-boggling,” to which Dean replied, “That’s because she’s a very developed and compassionate, loving person, which is so much more [than] I can only attribute it to the trolls commenting on this post.’
He also confirmed that Tori herself is in a new relationship, but he didn’t say who it is with.
‘Tori has a boyfriend. People get divorced and are better off apart [than] together. That’s life. I’ll pray for happiness for all the haters,’ he concluded.