Shannen Doherty reveals she learned then-husband Kurt Iswarienko had been having an affair before her brain surgery: ‘I felt so betrayed’

Shannen Doherty has revealed she learned her then-husband Kurt Iswarienko was having an affair before undergoing surgery to remove her brain tumor.

The 90210 alum, 52, was married to Kurt for almost 12 years before filing for divorce in April 2023, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.

But during the premiere episode of her new iHeartRadio Podcast Let's be clear, Doherty, 52, sheds light on the alleged betrayal that led to the end of their marriage.

'This year, 2023, I filed for divorce. I also had brain surgery in 2023,” Doherty explains.

“I went to the operating room early in the morning and went in after finding out that my marriage was basically over, that my husband had been having an affair for two years,” she said.

Shannen Doherty has revealed she learned her then-husband Kurt Iswarienko was having an affair shortly before she underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor

'To not go to that operation, even though it was very clear that he wanted to, I couldn't go there with him to that operation. “I felt so betrayed,” she added.

“I ended up feeling so incredibly unloved by someone I had been with for 14 years, by someone I loved with all my heart,” she said.

Instead, Shannen relied on the support of friends and family.

“I went into surgery, thank God, with my mom by my side, with my brother by my side, with my best friend Chris by my side, my friends Christy and Ona Ray and Anne Marie, like Holly, all praying for me, like text me. I went into the operation still petrified.'

Not all of Shannen's tumor was removed, but they were pleased with the results and the actress underwent more brain radiation.

“Just to have to go through all that trying to figure out if you're going to get a damn divorce and trying to figure out the truth of that,” she said.

Shannen said she was “obsessed” with learning exactly what happened during the affair “through conversations, expecting someone to be honest with me.”

“If you've been together for fourteen years and you've cheated, doesn't that person deserve the absolute truth, no matter how much it hurts them?” she said.

“If they're the ones asking for it, if they're the ones saying, 'Listen, I understand. I can cry and get angry and this may be really annoying to hear, but I need to hear it because I need closure and this is how I get my closure.”

In the first episode of her new iHeartRadio podcast Let's Be Clear, Doherty, 52, sheds light on the alleged betrayal that led to the end of their marriage

Shannen also reached out to Kurt's girlfriend, revealing that she “spoke to the girlfriend of two years he cheated on me with.”

“It was embarrassing,” she said. 'I'm shocked that I can't maintain a relationship. I think it's a reflection of me, but this one, I think this one is on him. I've failed three times in marriage, but I still believe in love.'

Yet Shannen, who described how infidelity had always been an instant relationship-breaker for her, struggled to end the relationship “right away.”

“I was so confused and also on steroids and a lot of brain surgery stuff because they didn't want my brain to swell,” she said. 'And honestly, it's still very difficult. Yes, I made the decision to file for divorce, but I have many memories of this person.”

Doherty also said she took “responsibility” for the issues that affected their relationship.

'January 16, 2023. Operation. I had a tumor in my head that they wanted to remove and also a biopsy,” she captioned this video

'I also take some responsibility for the demise of our marriage, but that is actually not true. Let me rephrase that and be very clear: I don't take responsibility for the demise of our marriage, I take responsibility for some of the problems in our marriage,” she said. “I take responsibility not just because of how I was, but because of how cancer affected my marriage and how it affected him the second time around.”

Shannen, who had already gone through two divorces when she married Kurt, hasn't become pessimistic about love. “I still believe in love,” she said.

The Heathers star tied the knot with Kurt in 2011. She was previously married to Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and she was married to Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.

Shannen — who recently revealed her stage four breast cancer had spread to her bones — also recently said she's “open” to finding love again.

In a recent interview with People“I wasn't ready at all three weeks ago,” the actress admitted, but then “something happened.”

Shannen married Kurt in 2011. She was previously married to Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and to Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003; pictured with Kurt in 2016

'There's always a trigger, just a moment when someone says something to you, your ex says one thing to you and you say, “Okay, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine.” I have closure and I can move on in a very healthy way,” she continued.

Even though she's looking for love again, Doherty wasn't sure if she wanted a secure relationship with someone she'd known for a long time, or if she was looking for something new and exciting.

“I have a best friend, a male best friend who we joke about being married,” she continued, seemingly referring to her real estate agent boyfriend Chris Cortazzo, who she has posed with several times on Instagram.

“I don't know if it's that or if it's meeting someone and just feeling an instant connection. I'm open, and I wasn't (before),” she added.

Despite her ongoing health issues, the actress was optimistic about finding someone who is right for her.

'I don't think I'll be single forever. “I have to love myself and reckon with the past before I can move on, and now I'm pretty sure I'll meet someone – hopefully soon,” she said.