Diane Plese | Biography, Career, Marriage, Children and Divorce
Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist best known publicly for her long marriage to entrepreneur and television personality Robert Herjavec. Long before her former husband became widely recognized through Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, Plese had established a professional career of her own, including running her own optometry office. Their marriage began in 1990, lasted about 24 years, and eventually became the subject of extensive Ontario family-law proceedings after their separation in 2014.
What makes Diane Plese’s story particularly notable is that her professional life became an important part of the later divorce case. Ontario court records describe her as a full-time optometrist who operated her own office during the early years of the marriage. After having children, she reduced her working hours and eventually left paid employment to focus on the household and family. The economic consequences of that decision became central to the court’s assessment of spousal support.
Diane Plese Biography at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Diane Plese |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Profession | Optometrist |
| Former husband | Robert Herjavec |
| Marriage | 1990 |
| Separation | 2014 |
| Children | Brendan, Skye and Caprice |
| Publicly known for | Her career as an optometrist and marriage to Robert Herjavec |
| Current public profile | Relatively private |
Who Is Diane Plese?
Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist whose public profile largely developed through her relationship with Robert Herjavec. Unlike her former husband, she did not build a career around television, entrepreneurship, or celebrity publicity. Her own professional identity was established in optometry before and during the early part of their marriage.
The Ontario Court of Appeal records that Plese was a full-time optometrist running her own office during the early years of her marriage. After the birth of the couple’s first child in 1993, she began working part-time and continued doing so around subsequent maternity leaves. Around 2003, she stopped working outside the home altogether after an arrangement in which she focused on managing the household and caring for the children.
That career history matters because Diane is sometimes reduced online to simply being Robert Herjavec’s former wife. The public court record provides a much fuller picture: she had a demanding healthcare profession, earned her own income, operated a practice, and later made a major career sacrifice while raising the couple’s children.
Diane Plese’s Early Life and Background
Reliable public information about Diane Plese’s childhood is considerably more limited than information about her former husband. A number of biography websites publish specific claims about her exact birth date, parents, childhood and family background, but those details are not consistently supported by authoritative records.
For that reason, it is better to separate established information from repeated online claims. Plese was raised in Canada and developed a professional career in optometry, but many of the more detailed stories about her early childhood should not be treated as confirmed facts unless supported by a reliable primary or reputable secondary source.
This lack of public information also reflects the way she has lived her adult life. Robert Herjavec became a highly visible businessman and television personality, while Diane generally remained outside the entertainment spotlight. As a result, her biography is better documented through family-law records and historical reporting than through interviews or an extensive public media profile.
Diane Plese’s Education and Optometry Career
One of the strongest documented aspects of Diane Plese’s background is her education and professional training in optometry.
In the divorce proceedings, Robert Herjavec’s own published account was referenced by the court when discussing Diane’s professional background. The account described her as having earned her optometry degree after six demanding years of study that included substantial study time and work as an intern. The court relied on this history when considering the economic importance of her career and the effect of leaving it behind.
Some online sources identify the University of Western Ontario, now known as Western University, as the institution where Plese studied optometry. Other websites give conflicting educational details, including claims involving different Canadian universities. Because these claims are not consistently documented in authoritative public sources, it is safer to identify her as a trained optometrist without assigning an institution or graduation date unless independently verified.
Her professional experience is much clearer. The Ontario Court of Appeal specifically describes her as a full-time optometrist who ran her own office. This establishes that she was not simply trained in the field; she had actually built a working professional practice.
Diane Plese’s Career Before Marriage
Diane Plese had an established career before Robert Herjavec became a nationally recognized technology entrepreneur and television personality.
Her work in optometry provided her with professional independence and a steady source of income. This became especially significant during the early years of her marriage because Robert was building businesses and taking entrepreneurial risks.
The 2018 Ontario Superior Court decision later considered the financial role of Diane’s employment in the family’s earlier years. A legal analysis of that decision notes that the court viewed her independent employment as an important part of the couple’s financial history, particularly while Herjavec was developing his early technology business.
This is one reason her career deserves attention in any serious biography. Her professional life existed before the wealth and television fame associated with Robert Herjavec.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec married in 1990. At the time, Herjavec was an entrepreneur rather than the internationally recognizable television investor audiences would later know.
The couple’s relationship developed during a period in which Herjavec was building his technology career. According to the Ontario Court of Appeal, both spouses eventually described themselves as a good team during the marriage.
Their financial circumstances changed dramatically over the following years. Herjavec’s business success eventually created a very high-income household, while Diane’s professional role changed after the couple began having children.
The marriage therefore evolved from a partnership involving two working professionals into a family arrangement in which Diane increasingly concentrated on childcare and household responsibilities.
Diane Plese and Motherhood
Diane and Robert Herjavec have three children: Brendan, Skye and Caprice.
Their first child, a son, was born in 1993. A daughter followed in 1996, and their youngest daughter was born in 1998. The court record confirms that Diane reduced her professional workload after becoming a mother and continued working part-time around later maternity leaves.
Around 2003, Diane left the workforce completely. The Ontario Court of Appeal explains that Robert encouraged her to stop working and that she agreed to focus on managing the household and caring for the children. Robert was described as benefiting from this arrangement because it allowed him to concentrate heavily on his business activities.
This point is important because leaving a professional career can have consequences beyond the immediate loss of salary. It can affect future earnings, professional development, retirement savings and the ability to return to a comparable career after many years away.
Those issues later became central to the court’s reasoning in Diane Plese’s spousal-support case.
Who Are Diane Plese’s Children?
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec have three children: Brendan, Skye and Caprice Herjavec.
Their children grew up during the period when Robert’s technology businesses were becoming increasingly successful. Court records describe the family as living an exceptionally affluent lifestyle, including expensive properties, private schooling and extensive travel.
The children are now adults and have largely developed their own professional identities outside their parents’ television and business careers.
Because Diane has generally maintained a private public profile, there is considerably more documented information about her role as a mother during the marriage than about her current relationship with her adult children.
When Did Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec Separate?
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec separated in 2014 after approximately 24 years of marriage. The Ontario Court of Appeal records that the separation occurred in 2014 and that family-law proceedings followed.
Diane commenced the family-law proceeding on March 3, 2015. Earlier court records show that the parties were already dealing with issues involving child support, spousal support and family expenses during the litigation.
The separation eventually became much more than a private marital dispute because the couple had accumulated substantial wealth during their marriage. Their properties, businesses, investments, family trust arrangements and support obligations all became relevant to the proceedings.
Diane Plese Divorce Settlement Explained
The financial outcome of Diane Plese’s divorce is frequently simplified online as a “$25 million settlement.” That description needs context.
The formal Ontario Superior Court proceedings involved an equalization payment of $2,689,558, along with a substantial spousal-support award and other property-related financial interests. The Ontario Court of Appeal later confirmed that the trial judge had ordered $125,000 per month in spousal support for an indefinite period.
A legal analysis of the 2018 decision described Diane’s total entitlement from several components as approximately $25 million, in addition to assets she had already received during the marriage. This is why media reports sometimes refer to the case as involving a $25 million divorce settlement.
The distinction matters: “$25 million settlement” is a broad description of the financial outcome, whereas the court’s formal orders contained separate components involving equalization, property interests and ongoing support.
Why Was Diane Plese Awarded Spousal Support?
The spousal-support award was closely connected to the economic consequences of the marriage and Diane’s decision to leave her professional career.
The Ontario court recognized that Diane had previously earned a reliable professional income as an optometrist. By leaving the workforce and dedicating herself to the household and children, she gave up that independent income and the career opportunities associated with continued professional employment.
The trial court ordered Robert Herjavec to pay Diane $125,000 per month in spousal support with no fixed termination date. Robert appealed the decision, arguing that the amount should be reduced or eliminated.
In December 2020, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. The appellate court found no palpable and overriding error in the trial judge’s assessment and upheld the support order.
The case is therefore significant not simply because of the amount involved, but because it illustrates how courts can evaluate the long-term economic consequences of a marriage in a very high-income household.
Diane Plese’s Divorce and the Herjavec Family Trust
The divorce litigation also involved a family trust connected with Robert Herjavec’s business and financial affairs.
Court proceedings addressed questions surrounding the trust, its assets and the interests of Diane and two of the couple’s children. The litigation demonstrates how complicated high-net-worth family cases can become when business interests, trusts and family property overlap.
A separate legal analysis explains that the trust had been established during the growth of Herjavec’s early business interests and later became part of the dispute following the couple’s separation.
This aspect of the case is another reason it is misleading to describe the divorce as a simple division of personal savings. The financial proceedings involved multiple forms of property and business-related interests.
Diane Plese’s Life After Divorce
Diane Plese has remained considerably more private than Robert Herjavec.
While Herjavec continued appearing on television and eventually married professional dancer Kym Johnson, Diane largely stayed away from celebrity media. As a result, there is limited reliable public information about her current professional activities, residence or day-to-day lifestyle.
Some online biographies claim that she continues to practice optometry or provide precise details about her present wealth and location. Those claims should be treated cautiously because they are not consistently supported by authoritative public records.
What can be said with confidence is that her professional history, family role and divorce proceedings are well documented. Her current private life is not.
Diane Plese’s Net Worth
There is no reliable public record establishing Diane Plese’s exact current net worth.
Numerous celebrity biography websites publish specific figures, often linking her wealth to the financial outcome of her divorce from Robert Herjavec. Such figures should not automatically be treated as verified net-worth estimates.
The court record does establish substantial financial awards and property interests. The 2018 proceedings included an equalization payment of $2,689,558 and indefinite spousal support of $125,000 per month, while legal reporting described the broader financial entitlement as approximately $25 million.
Those figures describe court-ordered financial arrangements, not necessarily a current personal net-worth figure.
Diane Plese Today
Diane Plese remains a relatively private figure. Her public identity is primarily associated with three things: her career as an optometrist, her long marriage to Robert Herjavec, and the significant Ontario divorce proceedings that followed their separation.
There is not enough reliable current information to make confident claims about whether she currently operates an optometry practice, where she lives, or what her exact financial position is.
That uncertainty is worth acknowledging rather than filling the gaps with speculation. Diane’s story is already well documented through her professional history and court proceedings without needing unsupported claims about her private life.
Why Diane Plese’s Story Matters
Diane Plese’s biography is more than a celebrity-divorce story.
Her career illustrates that she had a professional identity before and during her marriage. Her decision to leave that career became part of the economic structure of the family, while Robert Herjavec’s entrepreneurial activities expanded dramatically.
The later court proceedings recognized that these decisions had long-term economic consequences. The case therefore provides an unusually clear example of how professional sacrifice, childcare, household responsibilities and financial growth can become interconnected when a long marriage ends.
For readers interested in celebrity relationships, the story offers the public details they are looking for. For readers interested in family law and high-net-worth divorces, the case provides a deeper lesson about how courts assess economic disadvantage and spousal support.
Frequently Asked Questions About Diane Plese
Who is Diane Plese?
Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist and the former wife of entrepreneur and television personality Robert Herjavec. She and Herjavec were married in 1990 and separated in 2014.
What does Diane Plese do?
Diane Plese trained and worked as an optometrist. Ontario court records state that she operated her own office and worked full-time during the early years of her marriage before later reducing her hours and eventually leaving the workforce.
How long were Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec married?
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec were married in 1990 and separated in 2014, making the marriage approximately 24 years long.
How many children does Diane Plese have?
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec have three children: Brendan, Skye and Caprice.
When did Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec separate?
The couple separated in 2014. Diane began family-law proceedings on March 3, 2015.
How much did Diane Plese receive in the divorce?
The case involved several financial components. The Ontario Superior Court ordered an equalization payment of $2,689,558 and $125,000 per month in spousal support. Broader reporting on the judgment described Diane’s overall financial entitlement as approximately $25 million.
Why did Diane Plese receive spousal support?
A major factor was the economic impact of her decision to leave her optometry career and focus on raising the children and managing the household. The court found that the loss of her professional income and financial independence was a compensable consequence of the marriage.
Did Robert Herjavec appeal the spousal-support decision?
Yes. Robert Herjavec appealed the $125,000 monthly spousal-support order. The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in 2020 and upheld the trial judge’s decision.
Is Diane Plese still an optometrist?
Her documented career was in optometry, including running her own office. Reliable current sources do not clearly establish whether she continues to practice today, so claims about a current clinic or professional role should be treated cautiously.
What is Diane Plese’s current net worth?
There is no reliably verified public figure for Diane Plese’s current net worth. Online estimates should not be confused with the financial awards and property interests established during her divorce proceedings.
Conclusion
Diane Plese’s public story is often told through her connection to Robert Herjavec, but the documented record shows a more complete picture. She was an established optometrist, operated her own practice, became the mother of three children, and later stepped away from paid employment while managing family responsibilities during a period of major financial growth.
Her 2014 separation from Herjavec led to lengthy family-law proceedings involving property, business interests, support and a family trust. The resulting court orders included a $2,689,558 equalization payment and $125,000 in monthly spousal support, with the latter ultimately upheld on appeal.
For anyone researching Diane Plese, the most reliable approach is to distinguish documented court findings from the many unsupported personal details repeated across celebrity biography websites. Her professional career, family history and legal proceedings provide enough verified material to understand why her story remains of interest without speculating about the parts of her life she has chosen to keep private.
