Tori Spelling with an inset of her daughter Stella. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock; Courtesy Stella McDermott/Instagram
Pushing through the tough times! Tori Spelling is praising her daughter Stella for staying strong after being bullied by her classmates — and she’s excited to see where the teen’s next chapter will lead.
“Her creativity and her passion has gotten her through so much,” Spelling, 49, revealed to E! News during iHeartRadio’s KIISFM Wango Tango on Saturday, June 4. “She even said, ‘Mom, I feel like I’ve come so far from the bullying days from school and I’m able to enjoy school again and celebrate my graduation in my life’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
The 14-year-old, who graduated middle school on Thursday, June 8, has struggled with bullying and mental health issues for the past two years, but the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum has done everything she can to remind her daughter she’s worthy of love, even in the most difficult of times.
“I found all I can do is love her and tell her that she is the biggest badass female goddess ever,” the reality star told E! “I just keep reminding her that every day. School is gonna be done with one day and I go, ‘Look at all you’ve achieved at 14 years old.’ Yet, these are kids that are throwing comments at you, what are they achieving?’”
Following Stella’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, Spelling and her husband, Dean McDermott, took to social media to express their pride. (Along with Stella, the couple also share daughter Hattie, 10, and sons Liam, 15, Finn, 9, and Beau, 5. The Against the Ropes star, 55, is also the father of son Jack, 23, with ex-wife Mary Jo Eustace.)
“So proud of how hard she fought to graduate amongst bullying, COVID adversity, migraines, severe anxiety, and sadly teachers and counselors who didn’t believe she could do it all in time to graduate,” the 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover author captioned an Instagram photo of Stella draped in her gown. “She proved them all wrong!”
Stella isn’t the only member of the brood who’s been dealing with rocky times lately. Following months of speculation about their relationship, a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that Spelling is “working nonstop to make more money and to focus on things other than her turbulent marriage,” adding that the True Tori alum “often doesn’t wear her wedding ring and doesn’t sleep with Dean. Their intimacy is pretty nonexistent.”
Stella McDermott. Courtesy Stella McDermott/Instagram
The Scream 2 actress and the Canada native tied the knot in 2006 after a whirlwind romance. However, the California native sparked rumors of a possible split after she removed the word “wife” from her Instagram bio and didn’t publicly acknowledge the duo’s 15th wedding anniversary in May 2021. Last month, the couple once again failed to post about their 16th anniversary.
While the former BH90210 star and her husband have since tried to downplay speculation of a split, an insider exclusively told Us the pair are currently “going through a separation.”
The source claimed earlier this month that the Mommyhood author has been unresponsive to her friends in regards to her marital status. “They try to reach her and hear no word back,” the insider revealed. “And she hasn’t been doing social things anymore. She seems to be isolating herself. She’s been so MIA that they’re worried something’s going on – if she’s having money troubles again or is depressed.”
A second source, however, told Us that McDermott and Spelling have put the possibility of a divorce “on pause.”
Per the insider, “They know divorce will be expensive and it’s not something they’re willing to go through right now. They both feel trapped. Having kids makes it more difficult because they don’t want their children to be unhappy, yet at the same time, Tori has been unhappy for quite a while now. They truly are still together for their kids.”
