Tori's Side of the Story

Growing up in the spotlight, Spelling says people have always made assumptions "that I'm filthy rich, that I had all this money from my dad, that I live this extravagant lifestyle."

But she says that soon after she got cast on "90210" she was on her own financially.

"I had a hit TV series, so I didn't really need [my parents] for anything," she said. All that changed when "90210" went off the air. Spelling says that at one point she owed hundreds of thousands of dollars on her credit card and that she came close to bankruptcy, all because of her "bad shopping habits."

"Bad shopping habits die hard," she explained. "In all honesty, I grew up a certain way. I never had to worry about money … that was my reality."

She says she was too proud to go to her father for help. "That means, in my mind, [that] I was what everyone thought I was, taking money from my dad, the rich little girl that he paid for everything. And I just refused to be that. [I would] rather be bankrupt."

To get herself out of debt, Spelling went back to work.

"I turned into my dad's daughter and I started thinking of things to do, ways to make money," she said.

In the next few years, Spelling took just about any television job that would help her pay the bills. She also launched her own jewelry line, and in 2007, along with husband Dean McDermott, she launched a reality show called "Tori and Dean Inn Love" that also features the couple's son, Liam. The third season of their show premieres in June on Oxygen.

'You're Gonna Be OK'

Spelling also inherited money from her father, who passed away in 2007. But despite the enormity of the Spelling estate, Tori inherited just under $1 million. Her brother Randy got the same. Many were shocked by the relatively small size of her inheritance — except for Tori Spelling herself. She had talked to her father about it before he died.

"It was a hard conversation to have with him. I didn't want him to think that I was asking him for the money, or even talking about something so morbid as when he would pass. But I thought it was a conversation I needed to have … for myself and for my brother," she said." We had lunch and he said, 'You're gonna be OK. I made sure. You're getting just under a million.'"

"I think part of me, in the back of my head, maybe hoped it would be different? But I hated myself for hoping it would be different, because I didn't want to take advantage, I didn't want to be that girl who needed, or wanted, my dad's money."