Dean McDermott hopes he can rebuild his relationship with his children now that he is sober.
Opening to Daily mail for the first time since ending rehab and splitting from Tori Spelling, the 56-year-old actor admitted he “isolated” himself from his children as his alcoholism worsened in recent years.
“I just isolated myself more and more and more and she isolated herself with the kids. We were roommates,” he says of his relationship with Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 50.
“We rarely, rarely, rarely ate together. We would sit down and have a family lunch, but it was always disjointed,” he said.
“I felt worse because I knew I was a big part of it [the problem] and I was in a place where I felt there was nothing I could do.”
McDermott also said in the interview that he hasn’t seen their children — Beau, 6, Finn, 11, Hattie, 12, Stella, 15, and Liam, 16 — since the family went their separate ways after moving out of the Pasadena rental they called home. in July.
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Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott. Amy Sussman/Getty Tori Spelling’s son Liam and daughter Stella tower over her in homecoming photo: ‘Proud to be their mom’
In June, McDermott announced the couple’s divorce after 18 years together, noting in a since-deleted social media post that the couple had “decided to go their separate ways” and “start a new journey of their own.”
“We will continue to work together as loving parents to 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 through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness. 🙏.”
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Stella Spelling, Tori Spelling, Beau Spelling, Dean McDermott, Finn Spelling and Hattie Spelling.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Although Spelling has yet to speak publicly about the status of her relationship with McDermott, sources previously told PEOPLE that the couple appeared to be on good terms before her husband’s announcement.
“Their friends have seen their ups and downs over the years, but they really seemed to be in a good place in recent months,” a source close to Spelling told PEOPLE. “This seems sudden.”
Referring to past struggles in their relationship, the source continued: “If this had happened a year ago, it would have been expected because things between them were terrible. Of course, they still had disagreements and didn’t always get along, but the past six months things were good between them.”
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