The Complete Transformation Of Tori Spelling

There aren't too many stars who have managed to remain successful in the entertainment industry for over four decades. Ever since Tori Spelling kicked her career off in the '80s, it's been clear that she's going to be one of the few names that will be known across generations. And today, that couldn't be truer. Whether you know her from the '90s hit "Beverly Hills, 90210" or Season 33 of "Dancing with the Stars," Spelling has managed to remain in the spotlight with fervor.

A big part of the reason fans have stuck with her is her authenticity and honesty. "I feel like I've always been just so open, which has been good for me and bad for me. I have no filter, I guess. I've always been that way," she admitted to Lena Dunham during a Lenny interview in 2018. And here at Glam, we have plenty of respect for anyone who isn't afraid to be themselves, which is exactly why we knew we needed to take a closer look at Spellings's stunning transformation over the years. 

As the daughter of Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, it was no surprise that Tori Spelling kicked off her acting career even before she was a teen. In 1981, Tori made her acting debut in the television show "Vega$," which her father produced. At the time, feminine dresses and voluminous hair were her favorites, and she perfectly reflected the style trends of the '80s. 

While the young star always dressed up for industry events, which she attended with her parents, later on in her career, Tori opened up about what was happening behind the scenes. "I went into my parents' bathroom, all dressed up, with my hair done as best I could manage, and asked my mother, "Am I pretty?," Tori wrote in her book "sTORI Telling" (via CNBC). "She looked at me and said, 'You will be when we get your nose done.'" With insecurities being pointed out by her mother, it's unsurprising that Tori ended up changing her look as a teen. "I had my nose done the minute I turned sixteen," the star wrote.

In 1990, Tori Spelling's life changed forever when she was cast as Donna Martin in "Beverly Hills, 90210," which was also produced by her father. "My character on '90210' is so sweet and innocent and naive that I think an actress worries after five years of playing that character, that that's the role you're going to carry from now on," she told Today in 1995. "My first TV movie that I did before this, I got to play a 'bad' character, so that kind of opened up the doors a little."

Even though she was now one of the biggest '90s teen stars, Spelling revealed that fame didn't really register as something new to her. "Becoming famous at a young age didn't feel all that new to me. I don't know it any differently. I don't notice it. I probably couldn't have functioned at 16 if I had been acutely aware of it," she told Lenny. As a true teen star, fashion played a major role in Spelling's public appearances, and she certainly made the most of the decade's early trends. Edgy chokers and fun slip dresses were closet staples for the star who was just beginning her time in the spotlight.

By the time Tori Spelling turned 20 in 1993, she was already a television staple. In fact, she was in "Beverly Hills, 90210" until the show ended in 2000 — and many might agree that this was her career peak. However, she didn't stop working after the show ended. "She's a workaholic," her father, Aaron Spelling, told Entertainment Weekly in 1996. "She did four movies and 30 episodes of 90210 in 14 months. She's more determined than people realize."

In her 20s, the star also began opening up about her insecurities, something that wasn't as common in the entertainment industry at the time as it is today. "I've always been insecure about my looks," she admitted (via Entertainment Weekly), adding that it was her relationship with actor Nick Savalas that caused some of her self doubts. "He was never physically abusive, but he was verbally abusive, telling me 10 times a day how ugly I was," she added. "I cried all the time. I'm not very confrontational. I'm afraid to fight. My parents cried for months because they knew how unhappy I was." Tori and Nick dated from 1992 to 1995.

With new millennium around the corner, the television star foreshadowed some big Y2K trends, such as metallic clothing and maximalist layering. While she was going through breakups and insecurities in her personal life, Tori looked as fashionable as ever in public.

In the early aughts, Tori Spelling served us looks that often included low-waisted jeans or halter-neck dresses — both of which were peak fashion at the time. The star also never shied away from skin-baring looks, and her makeup and hair were rarely minimalistic. In fact, the infamous Y2K hair pouf was a staple for Spelling's red-carpet looks.

In 2004, after two years of dating, Spelling married actor Charlie Shanian. For their big day, the two put their trust in wedding planner Mindy Weiss, who admitted that, just like everyone else, the celebs she worked with also had anxiety on their big day. "They have anxiety about being in front of a lot of people, the toast, what they'll look like walking down the aisle. Real-life emotion can be a very intimidating experience," she told The New York Times the following year. Still, Spelling and Shanian pulled through and had a gorgeous ceremony.

While she was still officially married to Charlie Shanian, Tori Spelling began her relationship with fellow actor Dean McDermott after meeting him on the set of "Mind Over Murder." Her divorce from Shanian was finalized in April 2006, and a month later, she tied the knot with McDermott. A year after getting married, Spelling gave birth to the couple's first child, a son named Liam.

In 2007, Spelling opened up to People about her body image issues during her pregnancy. "I would have some days where I would feel really proud of my tummy and walk in front of a mirror and be amazed by it ... and I'd have some days where I felt like a whale," Spelling said. "I gained weight in places that I didn't know I could ever gain weight in." However, she acknowledged that she's never really had to pay attention to her diet and worry about weight gain for the majority of her life, including during her pregnancy. "I have been lucky, I don't know if it was genetics or age," she admitted. "I would eat healthy at times and pig out at times. But I never had to go on a strict diet plan."

In 2008, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott welcomed their second child — and their first daughter — Stella. Perhaps because Spelling had now experienced motherhood for a couple of years, the actor began opening up more and more about the scrutiny she'd faced over her body. More specifically, she called out the media for calling her anorexic. "Oh my God, I'm not anorexic," she told People in 2009. "I acknowledge that I look thin in photos." The star admitted that her hectic life causes her to eat less, but none of it is intentional, explaining, "I want to be a positive role model for my daughter. The last thing I want to put out there is that it's acceptable to be too thin or have an eating disorder because you're in Hollywood." 

As she learned more and more about motherhood, Spelling also began talking about her complicated relationship with her own mother, Candy Spelling. "I love my mother. I've always loved her [and] no doubt she loves me. There's no feud. We simply never meshed," the actor admitted to People. However, her experiences with her mother caused her to doubt her own skills. "When I found out I was pregnant with a daughter, I thought, f***. I am screwed," she told Lenny in 2018. "I cried when I found out I was carrying a daughter... I thought, I'm going to repeat the past." 

Thanks to motherhood and the star now being in her 30s, a subtle change in Spelling's style was noticeable. Most of her outfits were now a bit more modest than the ones she rocked in the late '90s and early aughts, and it was around this time that she decided that platinum blond is her favorite hair color. And, of course, she's stuck to it ever since.

In 2011, Tori Spelling, now pregnant with her third child, opened up about the plastic surgery she'd had done — and why she regretted it. "I got my boobs done in my early 20's, and if I had known it would or could possibly have impacted production of milk I would never had had them done," she admitted on "Good Morning America" (via HuffPost). "I love being a mom. I am on my third baby. We want to have more."

She also opened up about juggling her career and motherhood — and the guilt she felt when she just couldn't find enough time for both. "There are days when I struggle with wanting to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom, and feeling guilty about that because I work," she revealed to Parenting magazine in 2011 (via SheKnows). "There's this one mom at school who'll be like, 'Oh, we're having this playdate or whatever, can you come?' Recently, when I said I couldn't, she said, 'Oh, you never go to anything.' That hit me really hard." 

In late 2011, the actor gave birth to her third child and second daughter, Hattie. As Spelling neared her 40s, her style became increasingly classy and glamorous, with the actor favoring simple silhouettes and delicate designs. However, the star still kept her look fun and unexpected mostly through her makeup looks, which remained bold and dramatic thanks to her signature dark lip. 

Tori Spelling kicked off 2012 with her fourth pregnancy, but this time, the actor experienced complications. "I remember at one point, one of my doctors said...'Just get, let's, let's get to 28 weeks. Get, get that baby to 28 weeks,'" Spelling revealed to ABC News that December. For both her and the child's safety, she was hospitalized for a while, but Spelling revealed she was incredibly homesick. "I missed the big moments," she added. "I missed Liam's preschool graduation; Stella's birthday party; Hattie's when she first started to crawl [and] her first word." Luckily, both she and her child made it through, and in August that year, she gave birth to her and Dean McDermott's second son, Finn.

Throughout the first part of her fourth pregnancy, we got to see Spelling rock numerous maternity looks, which she was incredibly good at styling. The actor officially turned 40 in 2013, but her style remained youthful and trendy even though she maintained a high level of sophistication. Unfortunately, 2013 didn't end on a good note for Spelling, as news broke that her husband was cheating on her.

With an infidelity scandal made so public, Tori Spelling decided that the only right way to handle the situation was to clear it up publicly, too — and she did exactly that on "True Tori," her reality show. "He told me everything," she explained on the show (via USA Today). "I nodded. ... I didn't want him to know how much my heart was broken."

Spelling revealed that her husband also decided to go into treatment to work on himself, adding, "I know that he's my soul mate, the love of my life and he broke my heart." Even though the scandal was public and all eyes were on the two, Spelling and Dean McDermott managed to get through it. Even though she was privately going through a lot, Spelling kept her public appearances as professional as always. In fact, she became rather fond of brightly colored clothes, which she often rocked to industry events as if to signal that everything would be alright.

In 2016, Tori Spelling opened up to People about her family dynamic, admitting that speaking about anything goes in her household — and even sharing an unexpected anecdote. "I don't know the right thing. I'm learning as I'm going," the actor revealed. "In our house, we talk about everything, really no holds barred. People are obsessed with me getting my breast implants removed because they're recalled and expired. [My daughter Stella overheard] and said, 'Huh, your boobs aren't real?' I was like, 'Oh my God.' ... I didn't know what to do."

In 2017, Spelling gave birth to her fifth child and third son, Beau. In her candid conversation with Lenny in 2018, she revealed her plans for the future. "I want to be producing others and be behind the camera, be at home, be with my kids, and have a production company," she admitted, revealing that she is ready to take a step back from the limelight — at least the way she new it until then.

As Spelling figured out what the future would look like for her, she also embraced a more maximalist fashion style toward the end of the 2010s. She often rocked fun patterns and mixed a variety of accessories, which resulted in layered and intricate looks.

Like most celebrities, we didn't get to see much of Tori Spelling in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, once lockdown rules eased up and the entertainment industry went back to normal, Spelling graced plenty of events, and her style became much more daring and funky than what we were used to from the star.

During the pandemic, Spelling made headlines by revealing she was bullied at the beginning of her career, and it ended up making her insecure about her looks. "When I started 90210 at 16 I was filled with low self confidence," she wrote in a candid Instagram post that October. "Then, internet trolls called me frog and bug eyed. Being put under a microscope as a young girl in her formative years was hard. I spent years begging makeup artists on my shows and movies to please try to make my eyes look smaller. I would cry over my looks in the makeup trailer chair." 

The star also urged everyone to be kinder, so that nobody has to feel the way she felt: "Just remember next time that you go to comment on someone's account regarding their face or body or choices, you don't know them... But, their soul will remember that unkind comment."

By 2022, it certainly seemed as if Tori Spelling had entered a new era — one in which she was unapologetically confident. This, of course, was also reflected in her style, as the actor was now even more daring. In fact, Spelling kept up with the fashion trends so well that it almost seemed as if she was ready to be a new person. Usually, a change in style comes with some personal changes, and in hindsight, we can tell that Spelling was ready to make a big change. Cut to 2023, and the news of her separation from Dean McDermott broke.

Speaking to E! News, Spelling revealed that finding her confidence took time. "I definitely didn't find my stride with my self-confidence until probably my 30s, but I've got [to] admit, I would say this past year I am feeling the most confident I ever have in my entire life," the actor said. "And that's kind of a game-changer because I'm 48 years old and I feel like I look better than when I was in my 30s or 20's even. So it's definitely important to me. For my kids, especially – my daughters."

Today, Tori Spelling is as confident as ever, and we have to give it to her — she looks incredible. While Spelling has always been pretty and known what fashion worked for her, her confidence and self-love are really shining through, making the star even more gorgeous today.

In an August 2024 episode of her podcast "misSPELLING," the actor admitted that following through with the divorce was a change she needed. She revealed that she was ready for the separation and seeing her ex with a new woman wasn't as difficult as many would expect it to be. "I grieved and mourned the relationship during it. So when that part happened, that part was okay," she said. "It was more my focus was just on the kids and taking care of them, and that was hard for them."

While we don't know what the future holds for Spelling, one thing is sure: The star will continue her personal transformation, and we have no doubt that her style, maturity, and outlook on life will continue to be inspiring.