Actress Shannen Doherty frequently praised estranged husband Kurt Iswarienko for his tireless support prior to their split.
“My happy place got a lot happier with the arrival of my best friend. I couldn’t love this man more,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum wrote via Instagram in June 2019, sharing a selfie with Iswarienko. “He gets me. I get him. Boredom is never a factor. He continues to fascinate me with his talent, humor [and] intelligence. His love and support lift me up constantly. In short, I’m pretty damn lucky.”
Doherty — who was previously married to Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994 and Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003 — started dating the celebrity photographer in 2008. Iswarienko popped the question nearly three years later.
Us Weekly exclusively confirmed in October 2011 that the Heathers star and the PictureKid artist wed during an intimate ceremony at a friend’s Malibu, California, estate. Their nuptials were featured on her We TV docuseries, Shannen Says, one year later.
While the pair’s romance continued to heat up, they received heartbreaking news in March 2015 when Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing treatment, the Charmed alum’s cancer ultimately went into remission. However, the illness returned in February 2020.
Iswarienko became his then-wife’s No. 1 cheerleader throughout her health battle, which Doherty appreciated.
“I haven’t sat down to write letters [yet]. 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,” the Girls Just Want to Have Fun actress told Elle in September 2020 of her cancer journey. “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 continued at the time: “I try to treasure all the small moments that most people don’t really see or take for granted,” she said. “The small things are magnified for me. We have this endless well within us, and it’s just about continuing to dig in that well for the strength to face adversity — and so that we can also see all the beauty.”
Iswarienko, for his part, later praised Doherty for being his rock amid lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic. “Quarantine needs a better name. Because it’s been a good journey in many ways. It isn’t all bad,” he captioned an April 2020 Instagram tribute. “We’ve had to stop and re-examine our ways of moving and thinking about things —internal and external voices that influenced us that needed to slow down and sync up so simple beautiful things like joy are easier to see.”
He added: “Today I’m joyful because it’s my wife’s birthday. I’m happy I’m here and that I can bake a cake and cook a meal to celebrate that with her and the people we love. Happy Birthday @theshando I love you.”
Nearly three years later, Doherty filed for divorce in April 2023, with her rep alleging in a statement that Iswarienko’s agent was “intimately involved” in their decision to separate. The cinematographer has not addressed the claims.
Scroll below for the pair’s relationship timeline:
