Tori, Dean, their kids & MY SON: Interview with Dean McDermott!

Last week was insane and awesome with the spectacular Jennifer Garner. So I was all primed and ready to interview my first male celebrity, Dean McDermott (whom many of you know as Tori Spelling's husband, among other things). But like my experience meeting Jennifer in NYC, this interview opportunity turned out to be much more than an interview.

By Haley Overland

Updated Mar 29, 2017

Tori, Dean, their kids & MY SON: Interview with Dean McDermott!

It was wonderful chatting with Dean yesterday. He was really nice and down to earth, friendly -- exactly what he's like on the show. I felt very comfortable asking him even some more sensitive questions about the paparazzi and about his oldest son from his previous marriage. He was also very HANDSOME. Surprisingly HANDSOME. Very tall and broad....

But the crazy part of the day was what happened with MY SON!

See, I didn't expect Tori and their adorable kids, Liam (4) and Stella (3), to be there..., but there they were!

Of course, the cameramen for their reality TV show were there filming. AND they wanted to film my son and photograph him with Dean for some sort of national initiative that they're going to contact me about. As many of you know, I don't share photos of my kids' faces on the internet, so this whole thing was a bit overwhelming. But they assured me my son's name would be nowhere.

So when they show a cute little blondie talking to Dean and his kids, as Tori looks on, at a Pampers event in Season 6 of Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, only you and I will know that that's my little guy (look for me in there too!)! CAN YOU BELIEVE!? My son and I on a reality TV show! You know how much I LOVE REALITY TV!

HA! It was very cool to see all the cameras, the behind-the-scenes action, how Dean, Tori and the kids behaved on and off camera. Loved it.

There are more pics after the interview below. Dean and I had a great chat! Checkit:

What's it like parenting in front of the cameras?

Parenting is tough, and parenting in front of the cameras is no different. There's nothing that I would do different if the cameras were not there. We believe that our reality show should be real and not produced. So, my parenting skills don't change in front of the cameras.

Your experience as parents does seem really real and relatable so...Mission accomplished! Do you tend to forget about the cameras, since they're around you all the time?

We call the cameraman who's with us today "Uncle Moe." So you can see how they become like extended family, since they've been with us since Season One. I'll see them on the trampoline with the kids. The kids love them. When they see them, the kids say, "Moe! Ryan!" It's really nice to have that. And it makes it really easy for us just to be ourselves because we're basically just hanging out with our family and friends.

Please tell us about your pet pig!

I'm in love with our pig Hank! He's bonded with me, and he follows me everywhere -- he just loves me. He's the cutest thing and so smart. He's a micro pig, so he's not going to get much bigger than, say, 50 pounds. He's chill. Pigs are great pets because they don't need to be walked like dogs do. He loves to eat and roll in the mud. When he rolls in the mud, he comes back clean, except for that little ridge on his nose. I love him.

And the kids love him too?

Well, Hank thinks about food every second of the day. So, when the kids walk by, he thinks they have food and he turns. And because pigs don't have great [peripheral] vision, he turns all the way around, and the kids think he's trying to bite them. I try to explain to them that he just wants to see if they have food.

What are some of your biggest challenges as a father?

One of the biggest challenges is getting the kids to listen to you. And, to be honest, I get tired of hearing my own voice. And I'm tired of saying the same things, like, "Put that down, put that down, put that -- don't do that to your sister!" It's really hard. They look at you with defiance, as if to say, "I'm not going to do what you say!" It's frustrating. So you have to try to find patience in that moment, or you'll blow your lid! At the end of the day, I just don't want to speak because I can't stand the sound of my own voice.

What are some of the rewards of fatherhood?

It's endless. Unconditional love.... And some of the things they say are just hilarious. I love to see them interested in just the simplest things, like an ant in a puddle, trying to get out -- they're fascinated by it. It reminds you that life can be that simple sometimes. We get so far away from that as grownups. We get jaded. I like how you get live through their eyes and remember when you used to see the world that way. It brings back nice memories. [Liam calls out to his dad to look at the picture frame he made.] See? Moments like that.

We were all very concerned about Tori and the kids when we heard about Tori's car crash the other day. How's she doing? How are the kids?

Thank you for that. She's good, and the kids are good.

Do the paparazzi drive you crazy, especially after the car incident, or do you just get used to it after a while?

It's part of our lives, and it's not going to go away. So you try to live with it or it will only frustrate you. [The paparazzi] get their pictures and then they're gone for the day, and they're happy. And you're left frustrated. So you just have to let it roll off your back. But sometimes you can't. It's kind of like your kids not listening. You want to say, "No! Stop! I'm just trying to go to Blockbuster!"

Is it worse now that Tori's pregnant? We really notice how paparazzi are all over pregnant celebrities....

Yes, and they get aggressive. Especially when I'm not around -- they get aggressive with T. So it's unfortunate that I wasn't there when the accident happened. But, everybody's good.

Can you tell me about your show sTORIbook Weddings?

sTORIbook Weddings premieres tonight [Thursday] on Slice. Tori and I became wedding planners! Couples would submit a tape to us, and we'd look at how much help they needed, their theme, their personality and stuff like that. So we picked some couples and planned their dream wedding! It was a lot of fun -- a lot of hard work but a lot of fun. We were doing a wedding a week. It was very intense!

Some of our readers wanted to know what it's like parenting your oldest son [from] from a distance -- you in LA and your son in Toronto?

Actually he lives in LA now. So I get to see him all the time. When he was living in Toronto, it was difficult because he's my boy! He's my first born and we have a special bond. So it was really hard not seeing him a lot. But now he's just down the road from me in Los Angeles, and I get to see him all the time. He's growing like a weed! He's 12, and already 5'11" -- size 13 feet. And he's gorgeous, such a beautiful boy. I'm really happy he's in LA now.

Finally, please tell us about the cause you're here to help support today!

I'm really excited to be back in Toronto and working with Pampers. I'm hear with Pampers to celebrate their 50th anniversary and to celebrate new dads! In honour of the anniversary and new fathers, I'm helping launch their Little Miracles mission program in Canada, which celebrates and protects little ones everywhere. We're promoting paying it forward -- parents helping other parents out -- because it takes a village to raise a child. So, for example, other parents can help out new dads who are overwhelmed, have a lot to do and can't get everything done. Parents can come in and help with chores or do errands so the dads can spend time with their little ones, have that special bonding time. So, please, go to Pamper's Facebook page and pledge to help a father you know who's in need.

Well, I think our readers can all pledge to do something for new parents who need some help [right, Gorgeouses?!]. So, congratulations on everything, the show, the new baby coming in October...!