Thanksgiving is a time to look back on the past year and be thankful for all the joy and joyful moments we shared with loved ones.
For Dean McDermott, we imagine this holiday will be spent on how he spent the last one.
See, the last few years have been tumultuous to say the least for the star, his ex-wife Tori Spelling and their children.
While both he and Tori have progressed to 2024 – in his case, quite literally – it wasn’t that long ago that Dean was in a very dark place.
In fact, last Thanksgiving, Dean spent the day in the last place he probably wanted to be: a quiet house.
Dean’s struggle to stay sober
Last year shortly before Thanksgiving, Dean McDermott opened up about how he scared his family and alienated tory spelling.
She pointed out that her sudden breakup announcement in June, although true, came while she was in the throes.
Since then, Dean has spent a lot of time in rehab. She later admitted to fans that while it was too late to save her marriage, she wasn’t too late to save herself.
In a Thanksgiving video she posted on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for her children. It also serves as a life update as Dean reveals that the holidays were spent at his sober living home.
In addition to wishing everyone well (and urging them to stay safe), Dean explained that he was living in a sober living home, called Freedom House.
This is also where he was grateful to him. While it’s not what most people would consider ideal, he certainly knows it could be a lot worse.
Dean expressed his gratitude for his new wise friends and his sponsor. Dean also gave a shout out to many of his children.
The end of his marriage
On a random Saturday—June 17, 2023, to be exact—months of good, healthy times came to a crashing halt in the marriage of Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott.
He took to Instagram that morning to break the news.
After 18 years of marriage, it was over. Hours later, he deleted the post — but not the sentiment behind it.
As we noted, Dean has since admitted that the breakup message came as a result of him being under the influence.
In fact, one could say the same about breakups.
Earlier this month, Dean opened up about how his alcohol abuse and prescription drug abuse led to the collapse of his marriage.
Worryingly, it affected more than her mental state or her marriage.
Dean admitted that he would have drunken tantrums that would “betray” Tori and their children.
He took full responsibility for his mistakes during the interview.
“All Tori has ever done is want me to be happy and healthy,” Dean confirmed. “And I caused that woman a lot of pain and hurt.”
He hopes to one day fix it. This may be easier said than done.
You cannot give your ex back the time you took from him. And you can never give your children a new, better childhood.
Right now, Dean has a long road ahead of him.
How is Dean spending this Thanksgiving?
With the dawn of 2024 comes a new beginning for both Dean and his ex Tori.
The latter suffered a huge blow over the summer when he lost his 90210 costar Shannen Doherty to her battle with cancer. But career-wise, she was able to do some work to support her family, including the resurgence of Dancing with the Stars and her podcast.
Meanwhile, she is taking care of her six children while Dean continues his journey to wellness.
Being sober is not easy. But rehab and a sober living facility can help make that process easier.
Most of the year, it seems that Dean is working on himself and finding ways to find peace. As for whether he will spend the holidays with his kids, it remains to be seen, as he has not addressed it with his fans on social media.
But here’s hoping everyone in the Spelling/McDermott family has a lovely and safe holiday.
