Shannen Doherty Files for Divorce From Kurt Iswarienko After 11 Years of Marriage | She Continues to Battle Stage 4 Breast Cancer

Shannen Doherty has filed for divorce from photographer Kurt Iswarienko after 11 years of marriage. The couple does not share any children. "Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted," Doherty's rep, Leslie Sloane, told PEOPLE in a statement. "Unfortunately, she felt she was left with no other option." Iswarienko's agent was "intimately involved" with their divorce, according to the rep suggesting that another person may have been involved resulting in the divorce. The Charmed alum also posted a cryptic message on Instagram just two days with the message, "The only people who deserve to be in your life are the ones who treat you with love, kindness and total respect."

This is the end of the 52-year-old's third marriage. The Little House on the Prairie star tied the knot with Iswarienko in October 2011. The actress was previously married to Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003. Just before her third wedding Doherty told PEOPLE that she was taking her third marriage seriously. "Marriage to me is such a gigantic commitment that it's not something I'd ever go into lightly anymore," she said at the time. "I've learned my lesson."

Her divorce comes amid her ongoing health crisis with cancer. The actress is currently dealing with treatments for stage 4 breast cancer. She was first diagnosed in 2015 and entered remission two years later but cancer returned in 2020 as stage 4. The 90210, Beverly Hills star revealed in 2020 that she had plans to record videos of herself saying goodbye to the people she loved. However, at the time she admitted she was having a hard time coming to terms with actually recording those videos or writing the farewell letters as it felt "so final," she said, according to Elle.

The ’90s icon admitted that she did try to sit down to write letters but was struggling. "That’s something I need to do. There are things I need to say to my mom. I want my husband to know what he’s meant to me. But whenever it comes time for me to do it, it feels so final. It feels like you’re signing off, and I’m not signing off. I feel like I’m a very, very healthy human being. It’s hard to wrap up your affairs when you feel like you’re going to live another 10 or 15 years," she told the outlet at the time. 

The actress must be going through an incredibly hard time as her ex-husband was someone she leaned on during her health crisis. In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, she said that her first breast cancer battle changed her marriage with Iswarienko for the better. “Cancer solidified us,” Doherty said at the time. “Kurt and I have a much deeper appreciation for each other now.”

References:

https://people.com/tv/shannen-doherty-files-for-divorce-from-kurt-iswarienko/

https://people.com/tv/shannen-doherty-opens-up-about-how-cancer-changed-her-marriage/

https://www.elle.com/culture/a34144792/shannen-doherty-breast-cancer-interview/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Angela Weiss