Tori Spelling vs Dean McDermott: Is A Custody Battle Brewing?

Dean McDermott reportedly desires to maintain a close relationship with his children despite his separation from his estranged wife, Tori Spelling.

Exactly five months after he announced the end of their marriage in a now-deleted social media post, sources have claimed that the "Chopped Canada" host wants to remain in the lives of their five kids. With this new information, it is anyone's guess whether McDermott and his former wife will turn to the legal system to battle it out.

Things are supposedly about to spiral out of control for Spelling and McDermott, who walked down the aisle in May 2006, less than one month after the former finalized her divorce from actor and writer, Charlie Shanian, after two years of marriage. 

According to an insider, McDermott is keen on spending more time with their kids — Liam, Stella, Hattie, Finn, and Beau, amid their very public separation. As the source said:

"He wants access to the kids and he wants to set a good example." 

While noting the Canadian star's assertions that he hasn't seen his children since June, the informant added that he had hopes about staying in "good graces" with his 50-year-old ex-wife and the rest of her family.

As mentioned above, the 57-year-old initially announced his separation from the "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress via social media earlier this summer but quickly deleted the post shortly after. In a bid to answer the public's questions regarding his post and delete action, McDermott explained during an interview earlier this month:

"My worst memory with Tori is that last fight when I was drunk and angry. It was the night that I raged against her and the children and I saw the light, the final flicker of the flame go out in her eyes. I posted that because I was at the end of my rope. I didn't know what to do. I had burned everything down yet again."

McDermott revealed he was at his "wit's end," struggling with drinking and pills at the time. After posting the breakup message, he took "six or seven Ambien" with the hopes of not waking up.

Even though Spelling didn't publicly comment, the "Graveyard Shift II" actor stated she was "traumatized" and "totally caught off guard." He also mentioned that their five children were "particularly devastated." 

Us Weekly recounted that after posting the Instagram message, McDermott attended a 40-day stint in rehab at Harmony Place, which Spelling helped him find. Despite their efforts to make the marriage work, the pair eventually gave up and called it quits. 

Meanwhile, the "A Cool, Dry Place" star, who is currently residing in a sober house with eight other men, has since moved on with Lily Calo, whom he has been seen kissing multiple times. At the same time, his estranged wife has moved on with Ryan Cramer, an advertising chief executive.

Amid McDermott's somber reflection that his substance abuse played a huge role in the decline of their marriage, Spelling's feelings about having her private matters publicly accessible remained firm. The Blast recently reported that one insider had spilled some alleged facts, stating:

"Tori is a little hurt and upset by Dean's recent tell-all type of interview…She recognizes that Dean spoke about her in a relatively positive light, but she feels protective over her children."

They then added, "Especially Stella, who is old enough to know what's going on and reads and hears about these types of things," while noting that Spelling was doing her best to remain unaffected by McDermott's confessions. In their words:

"Tori is trying to stay positive and keep things afloat for her family and not let Dean's words impact her too much."

One way she has found particularly helpful is spending more time with her kids and dancing. The doting mom shared proof of this via Instagram, where she posted a clip that featured her and her brood having fun in what appeared to be a game and entertainment center.

In the video, Spelling is seen dancing to a fast-paced rhythm playing in the background with some of her children enjoying a game of basketball. Despite the raging fun around her, Stella remained glued to her phone until her mom tried scaring her as part of the festivities.