As the daughter of TV producer Aaron Spelling, who had a $600 million (£494m) fortune at the time of his death, Tori Spelling was born into unimaginable wealth. And she's made her own money over the years too. Thanks to her acting career, Tori once had an independent net worth estimated to be between $15 million (£12m) and $20 million (£16m).
However, in 2013 Spelling made the shocking confession that she was broke and had blown her entire personal fortune – as well as her inheritance. News swiftly followed that the star was destitute and in serious debt.
Now, amid her ongoing divorce from Dean McDermott, it appears Spelling's financial situation has hit a new low with the star leading a frugile existance. Read on to find out more and discover how Tori Spelling lost it all. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Born on 16 May 1973, the young Tori Spelling had a life of luxury that was beyond most people’s wildest dreams.
Her mother is socialite Candy Spelling, while her father Aaron was behind hit TV shows such as Dynasty and 7th Heaven and, as a result, built up an eye-watering fortune worth $600 million (£494m).
Tori and her younger brother Randy grew up in a mega-mansion nicknamed 'The Manor' (pictured), which at the time was the largest home in Los Angeles County.
Aaron Spelling had the 56,500-square-foot family home constructed in 1988. It features 123 rooms, including 14 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, a beauty salon, a cinema, and a two-lane bowling alley, while the sprawling grounds include a swimming pool and tennis court.
Aaron's widow Candy put the mansion on the market for $150 million in 2008 and it eventually sold for $85 million (£55m) three years later. The impressive abode was last sold for $119 million (£94m) in 2019.
Tori Spelling harboured acting ambitions from a young age. Her devoted dad Aaron hired her a drama coach when she was just six years old to help make her dream a reality, and also used his Hollywood connections to land Tori small roles on TV shows such as The Love Boat and Saved by the Bell.
Aaron spoiled his young daughter with lavish shopping sprees and, as a teen, Tori would think little of spending $50,000 (£41k) to $60,000 (£49k) in a single store.
Candy Spelling once told The New York Times of her daughter’s outrageous shopping habits: "I never did anything like that. She just went crazy."
Aaron helped Tori land her breakout role in the 1990 teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 (pictured). Her character Donna swiftly became a fan favourite, and she went on to star in the hit series for 10 years.
Tori’s onscreen success saw her become financially independent from her parents. However, her TV star salary wasn't quite enough to bankroll the opulent lifestyle she'd grown accustomed to, and the notorious shopaholic soon found herself struggling financially.
"When you grow up silver spoon, it's hard to go plastic," Tori said of her spending habits in her 2013 memoir Spelling It Like It Is.
Instead of relying on her dad's bountiful bank balance to fund her luxuriant lifestyle, Tori started accepting acting roles outside of Beverly Hills, 90210, including in movies such as Scream 2 and The House of Yes.
"Asking for help would mean that I was what everyone thought I was", she once said of her determination to pay her own way.
"Taking money from my dad, the rich little girl that he paid for everything. And I just refused to be that. I would rather be bankrupt."
While focusing on her acting career, Tori met fellow actor and writer Charlie Shahnaian (pictured together) when starring in his 2002 play Maybe Baby, It’s You.
The pair quickly became an item and got married in 2004. According to reports, they spent $1 million (£558k) on the wedding, with Tori's custom-made Badgley Mischka designer gown alone costing a hefty $50,000 (£28k) at the time.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and despite the crazily expensive nuptials the couple separated after just 15 months of marriage.
"I went into the marriage with the best intentions, hopes, and dreams. But unfortunately, it wasn't long before those hopes and dreams became nothing but a fantasy" Tori once said of the failed relationship.
While still married to Shahnaian, Tori met Canadian actor Dean McDermott on the set of the Lifetime movie Mind Over Murder in 2005. Though both were married to other people at the time, Tori and Dean began an on-set affair.
With Tori’s divorce from Shahnaian finalised in April 2006, she married Dean just one month later in an intimate ceremony held in Fiji.
"I had to follow my heart," Spelling wrote in her 2008 autobiography, sTORI Telling. "Ultimately, you have to realize that happiness is out there and not settle for anything else".
Tori and Dean went on to have five children together (pictured), while Dean also shares a son named Jack with his ex-wife, Mary Jo Eustace.
Shortly after her wedding to Dean, Tori suffered a personal tragedy when her father passed away in June 2006. When the public discovered how much money the former daddy's girl had inherited, they were shocked.
Aaron had left his daughter just $800,000 of his mammoth fortune, or around $1.2 million (£987k) in today's dollars. According to Candy Spelling, who inherited the bulk of her late husband's wealth, he left Tori just a fraction of his fortune because he didn't trust her not to waste his hard-earned money.
Tori later confessed that she was disappointed by her dad's decision, admitting: "I think part of me, in the back of my head, maybe hoped it would be different. But I hated myself for hoping it would be different because I didn't want to take advantage, I didn't want to be that girl who needed, or wanted, dad's money".
Despite the inheritance blow, Spelling refused to reign in her spending. In 2008, she and husband Dean McDermott snapped up a mansion in the upscale Encino neighbourhood of Los Angeles for a cool $2.9 million.
While perhaps not quite as grand as her former childhood home, the lavish abode still included six bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms, while the landscaped grounds housed a swimming pool, a spa, and a BBQ area.
The couple filmed their reality TV series, Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, which aired between 2007 and 2012, at the property. However, they ultimately sold the mansion at a $400,000 loss in 2011 before downsizing to a smaller home in Malibu.
Even though Tori and Dean's reality TV series depicted a life of luxury, it was all a façade. Tori announced in 2013 that she was broke and had been forced to borrow money from her mother to make ends meet.
In her 2013 memoir, Spelling It Like It Is, Tori blamed her financial woes on her opulent upbringing, claiming: "It's no mystery why I have money problems. I grew up rich beyond anyone's dreams. Even when I try to embrace a simpler lifestyle, I can't seem to let go of my expensive tastes."
Her mother Candy seemed to agree with her daughter's sentiment, once confessing: "My husband and I handed everything to our children, only later to realise that pushing up your shirtsleeves and digging in your heels is character building."
Despite publicly confessing her financial woes, Tori continued to rent lavish mansions for her family to reside in, including a $16,500 (£10k)-a-month rental in the Lake Sherwood region of California.
Eventually realising that the luxe abode was beyond their means, the family downsized to a rental in the Tarzana area of California in 2014, which cost around $7,000 (£4k) per month at the time.
However, Tori found herself facing more negative headlines when it was reported that she and Dean had moved out of the rental without telling the landlord – and owed $7,000 in back rent.
The cash-strapped star also refused to stop spoiling her children. In 2014, Radar Online reported that Tori had spent around $6,000 (£4k) on her daughter Stella’s sixth birthday party (pictured together here).
The lavish celebration took place at the Le Chic Spa in California, with Tori reportedly splashing out $90 (£54) per guest on a children's spa day, which included a makeover, mani-pedis, and organic facials.
The young guests also left the swanky birthday bash with gift bags that included Disney DVDs, Barbie dolls, and lipgloss.
Tori and Dean have also been prone to splashing their cash on swanky cars and motorbikes.
Tori has been spotted behind the wheel of swish vehicles such as a Range Rover and a Cadillac Escalade, which cost around $82,000 (£67k) and $75,000 (£62k) respectively.
Meanwhile, Dean has been seen riding a Ducati motorcycle (similar to the one pictured), which can cost between $10,000 (£8k) and $65,000 (£51k) depending on the model.
Tori has also spent thousands on costly cosmetic surgery procedures over the years, including breast implants and a nose job.
A source close to Tori told OK! magazine in 2014 that the star regretted having plastic surgery, revealing: "Everything is sagging because she doesn't have the money to maintain some of the major work she's done. She's starting to deeply regret ever going under the knife."
She's also a fan of costly beauty treatments. Tori was papped leaving the Calabasas Medical Spa in 2015 with her face appearing red and blotchy. An expert dermatologist interviewed by Us Weekly speculated that the cause could be an expensive anti-ageing CO2 laser therapy, which costs thousands of dollars per treatment.
Tori and her clan are known to indulge in luxurious vacations, with ski trips a particular family favourite over the years.
As recently as April 2023, the family were also seen enjoying a getaway at the luxe Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in California.
Tori’s unsustainable spending finally caught up to her when it was reported by People in 2016 that she and Dean McDermott owed more than $259,000 (£175k) in unpaid state taxes from 2014.
It was later reported that the couple also owed around $700,000 (£472k) in federal taxes, although this was just the tipping point...
That same year, Tori was court-ordered to pay debts of almost $38,000 (£26k) to the credit card company American Express.
When the news hit the headlines, Candy Spelling revealed she was "helping" her daughter financially, though she would not be aiding in paying off her debts.
Candy told TMZ: "I've been paying all her bills now, except I'm not paying extras like that. I'm not paying any back payments - just for the house, the kids' schools, and their food."
Tori's financial woes worsened when the news broke in December 2016 that City National Bank had sued Tori and Dean for debts amounting to $200,000 (£135k).
The couple had failed to make payments on a $400,000 (£270k) loan from four years prior, and Tori was also $17,000 (£12k) overdrawn on her bank account.
In April 2019, the court ruled that Tori owed City National Bank $260,000 (£203k), including interest.
She was due for a deposition in July of that year to examine her financial situation under oath, including all of her assets that could be used to pay off her debt.
In February 2017, Radar Online reported that Dean McDermott owed more than $100,000 (£81k) in child support payments to his ex-wife, Mary Jo Eustace (pictured). He faced imprisonment for his failure to pay, though the charges were dropped after he eventually paid $2,500 (£2k).
In March 2018, Mary Jo Eustace told US Weekly that Tori had been covering the cost of Dean's alimony payments: "Tori reached out to me and basically said that she would be covering the alimony because Dean didn't have any money. She made a couple of payments for it because she said she had gotten a job, so she could cover that. Usually I just text her, and she's like, 'I got it covered, no problem', and all amicable."
However, Mary Jo Eustance added that Tori and Dean had then abruptly stopped the payments and been ignoring her messages, telling the magazine: "Then I didn't hear from her... I reached out to Dean, and he didn't respond to me, and I reached out to both of them, and I didn't hear anything."
Despite their financial troubles, Tori and Dean still bought a $3.7 million (£3m) home in the Santa Monica Mountains, LA in 2020 (pictured). Though it's been reported Spelling's mother purchased the home on behalf of her cash-strapped daughter.
The luxe mansion features five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a playroom, and a wet bar. Meanwhile, the grounds, which have been described as "resort-like", include a swimming pool, waterfall, and spa.
Around the time the family moved into the plush new abode, American Express had requested that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office enforce Tori and Dean's repayment of $88,000 (£67k) in debts. The case has reportedly been resolved now.
In June 2023, Dean McDermott announced in a since-deleted Instagram post that he and Tori were divorcing after 17 years of marriage.
Back in 2014, an inside source revealed that the couple did not have a prenup, telling Radar Online: "Dean offered to sign one, but Tori refused. She truly believed Dean was her soul mate, and there was zero need for a prenup."
So could a separation spell yet more financial trouble for Spelling amid a potential divorce battle? We'll just have to wait and see...
Shortly after announcing her separation from Dean McDermott, Tori and her five children were forced to vacate their home due to mould issues. The cash-strapped star and family were then pictured staying at a Venture Country motel with a modest cost of $100 (£83) per night.
By August 2023, Spelling and her children were spotted residing in an RV park in California (pictured). While her state-of-the-art motorhome comes with a hefty $100,000 (£82.5k) price tag, it’s a far cry from the lavish mansions Spelling has grown accustomed to over the years.
Spelling's frugile lifestyle appears to be far from over. In late 2023, she was forced to evacuate her Los Angeles rental home due to a reported hostage situation unfolding at a neighbouring property. An armed man had barricaded himself inside his residence, and Spelling was pictured in the street as a SWAT team descended to handle the situation.
Spelling was seen looking “distraught” as she stood behind yellow police tape during the two-hour standoff, which fortunately ended with the suspect in custody and no one harmed.
A source recently told DailyMail.com that the star was “having some money issues” and was considering returning to the world of reality TV in a bid to make ends meet.
Spelling's struggles with money are nothing new, and recent estimates have put her wealth at $150,000 (£119k), a fraction of her former fortune.
Now take a look at the wild ways Nicolas Cage blew his $150 million fortune