Robert Herjavec Was Married to His First Wife for 26 Years! Meet Diane Plese

Long before Kym Johnson came along, Robert Herjavec was married to his first wife, Diane Plese. The Shark Tank star and the optometrist were married for more than 26 years before calling it quits in 2014.

Robert and his former love’s relationship first began in the late 1980s when the TV personality had an eye appointment with Diane. While once chatting with the National Post, the eye doctor said she couldn’t deny Robert’s admirable demeanor. “He’s so excited about life. How can you not want to be with someone who is so happy and motivated?” she gushed.

The Canadian businessman and the blonde beauty started dating shortly after, and by 1990, they tied the knot in a Croatian church in Ontario, Canada. During their marriage, they became the proud parents of their three kids together, Caprice, Skye and Brendan.

Diane stood by her hubby’s side as he rose to fame and established a multi-million dollar empire, but after more than two decades, it proved to be too much to handle. Robert and Diane ultimately separated in 2014, and at the time, the mom of three shut down any rumors surrounding their split.

“Robert is a caring husband and a responsible person towards his family, but I cannot live with him anymore and the reasons behind our separation will not be disclosed among the public,” she told the National Post. By 2015, Diane officially filed for divorce and it was finalized the following year.

“It’s been a terribly difficult year,” Robert shared with People in March 2015 while opening up about their split. “[We] were great parents and a great team… but over time we drifted apart.”

Even though Robert and Diane started to fall out of love, that didn’t take away from how heartbreaking the situation was. “I had gone through some pretty tough times and hit a place I never thought I’d be. In life, when you get to that point, you either move on or stay at the bottom,” he explained to People in 2016.

Fortunately, Robert was able to move on from the devastation caused by his divorce. “Over time, I got to a point where I was happy with myself slowly, and I felt good about things again, but I thought I’d be alone,” he shared. “I thought it was what it was.”

Scroll through the gallery below to learn more about Robert’s first wife!