Dean McDermott divorced Mary Jo Eustace for Tori Spelling, so she wrote a book about it.
By Maureen Dempsey — Written on Oct 21, 2009
Mary Jo Eustace isn't a Hollywood wife. But her ex is married to one. And Eustace can tell you all about the trouble a Hollywood wife can bring to a marriage—especially when she steals your husband.
Eustace is the ex-wife of Dean McDermott, of Tori and Dean fame. While Tori and Dean made nice in the Hollywood Hills, what most people don't know is that Dean abruptly ended his 13-year marriage to Eustace in order to start anew with Tori Spelling. Dean left behind a young son and a newly adopted seven-week-old daughter. (That doesn't really come up in opening credit image montage of Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, does it?) How To Tell Your Spouse You Want a Divorce
Fortunately, Eustace is receiving plenty of press and on-air time now, too, thanks her new book, Divorce Sucks: What To Do When Irreconcilable Differences, Divorce Lawyers, and Your Ex's Hollywood Wife Make You Miserable (Adams Media, October 2009).
"Obviously, I would have preferred a private divorce," Eustace explained to YourTango via phone. "Your family is imploding. But even in a small town, you're on display for everyone to judge." While Tori and Dean were splayed on the cover of Star and In Touch, Eustace says she didn't have the opportunity to step back and move on. 
"My life was being rewritten in front of me," she says, adding that everything moved so quickly. "There was a reality show within a year of our split. I started to question whether this whole thing really happened." Why Powerful Men Cheat
Here, Eustace sounds in to dispel some common divorce myths:
1. Dating after 40 is fabulous. (Really.) "I step in, then I immediately step back out," says Eustace of post-divorce dating. "But I think any woman over 40 feels this way, regardless of whether they've been through a surreal situation like me." Everyone comes with history—baggage—but in the end, it's this history that makes us more complex, more dynamic, she explains. Finding Love After Infidelity And Widowhood
2. Staying amicable with your ex is completely possible. Eustace makes it pleasant for the kids, Jack and Lola. "Communication is key," she notes. "I make sure I let Dean know about school activities and sports events so we can both be there for our kids." (She's also been adamant about keeping them off of the reality show.) Can You Be Friends With Your Ex?
3. Being a single mother has its perks. "I have friends in all stages of life, from longtime housewives to single girls," Eustace says. "And I love my situation." She says the freedom to make her own schedule, run her own household, and control her life in general is very healthy. "I've grown tremendously from having to carry all of this on my own," she adds.
Eustace took these lessons and more that she picked up along the way and rolled them into 225-page account of her roller-coaster ride of a divorce. So if you're in the market for a divorce memoir, a self-help book, or an insider look at Hollywood marriage, pick up a copy of Mary Jo Eustace's book, available now. You won't be disappointed.
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