Tori Spelling Credits Formerly Estranged Mom 'For Teaching Me Strength' Amid Divorce

Tori Spelling cannot stop thanking her formerly estranged mother, Candy Spelling. 

The podcast host showed her appreciation by taking to social media to share a series of throwback photos to celebrate this year's Mother's Day.

While Tori and Candy's relationship has been waxing stronger since 2022, things became even better when Tori started her divorce proceedings from Dean McDermott in March.

On Sunday, May 12, Tori opted to take a serious tone when praising Candy for instilling certain qualities in her. To that end, she uploaded a throwback collage of her and the 78-year-old looking straight at the camera, stating in the caption:

"Thank you for teaching me strength and resilience mommy — and how to set a proper dinner party table and always how to spot a fake purse."

Tori also treated fans to a vintage image featuring a young version of the matriarch supposedly holding her as a baby.

Alongside the shot, the mother of five penned, "Happy Mother's Day," before she posted a second photo of Candy standing beside her only daughter. 

For the snap, the older Tori donned a black dress adorned with daisies and two tiny straps on each shoulder.

She finished her look with what appeared to be miniature daisies in her blond hair, writing across the image, "I still stand by this look...the wildflower & me rise."

A final slide depicted a younger Tori and Candy rocking white formal dresses and looking deeply into each other's eyes. 

"The flower doesn't fall far from the bush ... yup, think on that one," the former "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress told her Instagram followers.

As previously mentioned, Candy has been a shoulder for her daughter to lean on since the latter filed for divorce earlier this year. 

The Blast noted that the Spelling matriarch spoke about being a pillar of support for Tori during the MOCA Gala 2024 in Los Angeles last month.

"Well, she really needed [support]," Candy stated before adding that it meant "a lot" to be there for her baby girl. She also claimed that, "Everything's good."

Long before Candy's show of support, an insider dished on the mother-daughter bond to US media, disclosing in July 2023:

"She [Candy] has assured Tori that she and her kids would be taken care of, ensuring no financial insecurity moving forward."

The informant also noted that Candy is working on her relationship with her grandkids — Liam Aaron, Stella Doreen, Hattie Margaret, Finn Davey, and Beau Dean.

Shortly after the source's claims, Tori took to Instagram to celebrate Candy's 78th birthday, using a variety of pictures from their younger days together. Beneath the sweet unforgettable shots, the Hollywood star began:

"I love you. Grateful to be your daughter. Some of my happiest memories involve laughing so hard with you that we were happy crying uncontrollably and you doing your LOL wheeze."

After acknowledging that she did not intend to "take for granted the beautiful life" Candy and her husband, Aaron Spelling, gave her and her brother, Rand, Tori conclusively effused:

"I am such a resilient and strong human and I owe so much of that to you. Strong women run in our family. I'm passing it on. Loved and still love watching horror films in bed with you. Always. Xo."

Tori has also been reportedly working on her co-parenting relationship with her estranged husband amid their divorce, multiple sources revealed recently. The Blast reported that one such informant asserted:

"It's not a volatile situation on either end, and things are actually pretty cordial between them. Their co-parenting situation is fine and continuing to get better."

Similarly, another insider explained that Tori and Dean being "in a much better space" is due to Dean's increased involvement in their children's lives.

Both accounts seem to be a far cry from the emotional reunion that the former lovers experienced at a storage unit.

At some time during the pair's encounter, Tori was seen in tears before appearing to toss a bag towards Dean, indicating the emotional strain surrounding their breakup.

Meanwhile, Tori opened up about the challenges that led to the collapse of her marriage on an episode of her podcast, "misSPELLING." She shared that her and Dean's "honeymoon period" faded quickly despite their initial passionate connection. 

Over time, the 50-year-old began to observe how multiple "red flags," such as anger issues, slowly deteriorated the relationship's foundation. Tori further explained how through instances of tension, which were worsened by alcohol, affected her emotional state.

It also did not help that the author felt isolated when it came to taking care of her and Dean's five kids. In her words:

"I really felt like I was in this alone with the kids' and he was there, but he was an extra set of hands. He put the car seat in because I didn't know how to do it and things like that. Emotionally, I was it."

When addressing the breakup on his own part, Dean confirmed that even though he and Tori "are in a good place," their decision to separate had been brewing for a while.