Tori Spelling is remembering how her late “Beverly Hills, 90210” co-star, Luke Perry, always had her back.
Spelling, who played Donna Martin on the ‘90s teen drama, shared the story of how Perry once defended her against an ex who mistreated her.
"I was in a verbally abusive relationship when I was 19,” Spelling, 48, said during a recent episode of the “Whine Down with Jana Kramer” podcast. “Luke hated him and was very protective, and at my parents' Christmas Eve party one year, he was there and he was just like, saw this ex-boyfriend, and they got into it and he tried to punch him.”
She added that her “90210” co-star Jason Priestley intervened and “had to pull (Perry) off” her boyfriend.
“It was one of those epic stories that, looking back, that you're like, 'Whoa, looking back, that's crazy,’” she said.
She also said that at first, she was upset with Perry for confronting her ex, but later felt grateful that he had stood up for her.
"I was 19, so I was mad at him instead of realizing, in hindsight, it was like, this guy loved me and he was like, 'I don't care. I'm gonna go to bat for her,’” she said. “He was a great friend."
Spelling alluded to this incident in a recent Instagram post honoring Perry on what would have been his 55th birthday. The actor died in 2019 after suffering a massive stroke.
“I remember meeting you as a young insecure teen girl. You were the first boy to ever make me feel worth as a human, a female , and a comedienne,” she wrote. “As a friend and big brother. You stood up for me fiercely. Went to brawl literally for me when I was in a verbally abusive relationship and sat and talked me thru the most insecure moments of a teen angst girls life.”
Spelling was just 16 when she first appeared on "90210" and in another recent Instagram post, she opened up about how working on the iconic show gave her confidence.
"I was a shy insecure 16 year girl. I grew up pretty fast being thrust into the limelight," she wrote. "90210 taught me such work ethic that I hope my kids all learn. It also taught me that I was worth something."