Following 11 years of wedded bliss, Shannen Doherty and Kurt Iswarienko have decided to divorce one other. It has been confirmed by ET that the actress submitted paperwork to begin the divorce process with her spouse on Friday.
The news was verified by Doherty’s representative, Leslie Sloane, in a statement that was sent to ET on Friday evening. Sloane said, “Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted.”
“Unfortunately, she felt that she was left with no other option,” the statement added. “She was left with no other choice.”
The couple tied the knot in October 2011, and the divorce file — acquired by TMZ, which was the first to publish the news — claims that the couple initially split in January. The couple has been estranged since the beginning of the year.
In addition to that, Doherty is trying to get spousal support. According to TMZ, the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement before getting married.
Doherty has been at Iswarienko’s side for the whole of her high-profile fight against breast cancer. Iswarienko was first diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2015, and she has since gone through many rounds of chemotherapy and treatment. Doherty has been by her side the entire time.
She went into remission in 2016, but in 2020 she disclosed that her cancer had returned as Stage 4 breast cancer. She has been vocal about her fight against the disease ever since then.
Doherty posted a profound statement on Instagram hours before the news of her filing for divorce became public. The post was short and to the point, and it simply said, “The only people who deserve to be in your life are the ones who treat you with love, kindness, and total respect.”