Over the weekend, Dean McDermott announced that he and Tori Spelling were finally splitting. The couple has struggled in their marriage, off and on, for years.

He almost immediately deleted the post.

Then came numerous reports insisting that Tori and Dean weren’t divorcing (yet). Allegedly, according to their friends, they just had a fight.

If it was just a false alarm, why is Dean putting his belongings into a storage facility?

On Monday, June 19, eagle-eyed witnesses spotted Dean McDermott transferring some of his belongings into a storage unit. Page Six offered details on the sighting.

He carried boxes and duffel bags of belongings into a storage rental repository in the Los Angeles area. Among other things, the actor and TV host had a lot of sports equipment to stow.

While no one looks particularly happy or upbeat when moving, many have described his look as “morose.” Additionally, he did not seem to be wearing his wedding ring.

So, what is the context?

Monday, June 19 was just two days after Dean posted and then hastily deleted a divorce announcement.

It wasn’t someone else’s marriage that he was pronouncing dead. It was his own 17 year marriage to Tori Spelling.

“It’s with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children,” Dean began. “Torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways.”

He continued: “And start a new journey of our own.”

“We will continue to work together as loving parents,” Dean affirmed. “And guide and love our children through this difficult time.”

“We ask that you all respect our privacy,” Dean then requested of anyone and everyone reading his erstwhile post.

He requested sensitivity “as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this.”

Finally, Dean concluded: “Thank you all for your support and kindness.”

Multiple reports have made it really clear that no one in Tori and Dean’s orbit was expecting this.

For one thing, their marriage has been going relatively well for the past several months or so. A year ago, on the other hand, a divorce announcement would have been no surprise.

Additionally, some sources close to the couple were pretty adamant that there was simply no way that they were actually divorcing.

So … what do we think is going down? With radio silence from Tori and Dean, all that we can do is speculate.

But the simplest explanation may be that Dean and Tori are splitting. We don’t know what conversation led to Dean deleting the news, but divorce has seemed likely for years.

Some couples go through a rough patch. Maybe the past months were a “smooth patch” for this often toxic couple.

There is an alternative that is significantly less dramatic, however. What if Dean is … literally just putting some things into storage.

Tori and Dean suffered an extreme mold infestation so bad that their family needs brain scans to assess any long-term cognitive damage. They obviously fled their old home.

Is it possible that Dean was simply stashing things in long-term storage while they figure out where they’ll live next? And might he have removed his ring while handling lots of heavy objects, to avoid injury or damage?

Maybe. But … the timing, in the aftermath of his “announcement,” raises very fair questions.

Dean McDermott Moving Out? After Announcing Split from Tori Spelling, He’s Putting … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.