Dean McDermott believes his openness in talking about past struggles in his marriage to Tori Spelling has helped other couples with similar problems — and thinks Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin are doing the same thing.
In an interview with Us Weekly, McDermott, who went to rehab for sex addiction in 2014, was asked if he believes “talking publicly” about marital problems can be “therapeutic.”
“When we did ‘True Tori,’ that was one of our hopes — that it would help others,” McDermott said. “It certainly helped us, because it got us into therapy a lot quicker and sped up the process of dealing with this, because we were doing a show around it.”
“It did help people, but I think it was a little too before its time,” he added. “I don’t think people were ready for that kind of reality. … It was really raw and we were really vulnerable.”
McDermott sought treatment after news broke he had cheated on Spelling in 2014. The couple’s process in dealing with the actor’s infidelity was documented on their Lifetime series “True Tori.”
When it comes to Kramer and Caussin — who openly discuss Caussin’s sex addiction recovery on their “Whine Down” podcast — McDermott said he hopes the way people view this type of addiction has changed.
“I’m hoping that for this couple… people are a little open to seeing it on TV and reading about the trials and tribulations that they’re going through,” he explained. “And at the end of the day, that’s all you can hope for, that it’s helped them and that it helps others.”
McDermott and Spelling, who have been married since 2006, share five kids together: Liam, 12, Stella, 11, Hattie, 8, Finn, 7, and Beau, 2. Although the couple was able to patch up their marriage after McDermott’s infidelity, the “Daddy Issues” co-host expressed how monogamy is difficult.
“Monogamy is hard for, I guess, several reasons — for wanting that initial lust that we have intrinsically built into us,” McDermott said. “Men, we’re like, we need to spread our seed everywhere. It’s [been] in our DNA for millions and millions of years. There’s that, but then there’s also, ‘Oh, God. This relationship is work.’ And it is. Every relationship is work and when you get to that point, you can’t bail. You’ve gotta knuckle under and work it out.”
Fortunately, McDermott said now, “without a doubt,” his relationship with Spelling is “the best it’s ever been.”
“We’ve been through so much together. We’ve grown so much together,” he said. “There’s ups and downs. And there was a big down, but we work through that and just made the love we had for each other stronger.”
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