Dr. Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist best known publicly as the former wife of entrepreneur and television personality Robert Herjavec. Herjavec became widely known through business programs including Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, while Plese built her own professional career in optometry before later stepping away from the profession to focus on family life.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec married in 1990 and separated in 2014 after 24 years of marriage. They have three children together. Their divorce later became the subject of extensive Ontario family-law proceedings involving property division, spousal support, and child support.
Although her connection to a major television personality has brought public attention, Diane Plese has generally maintained a private life. Most reliable information about her comes from court records documenting her professional background, marriage, family responsibilities, and the financial proceedings that followed the couple’s separation.
Diane Plese Early Life and Family
Public biographies commonly identify Diane Plese as a Canadian optometrist, but detailed information about her childhood and early family life is limited in authoritative sources.
Some entertainment websites report that she was born in Toronto in 1959 and came from a Croatian immigrant family. However, these details are not established in the Ontario court decisions that provide the strongest available documentation about her adult life. For that reason, they should be treated cautiously rather than presented as fully confirmed biographical facts.
Her professional background is better documented. The Ontario Court of Appeal records that Plese was a full-time optometrist who operated her own office during the early years of her marriage to Robert Herjavec.
Plese and Herjavec married in 1990. Court records state that they had three children, born in 1993, 1996, and 1998.
The family lived in Toronto and maintained a high standard of living during the marriage. Court records describe the family’s ownership of several substantial properties, including a large home in Toronto’s Bridle Path area, a Florida property, a Muskoka cottage, and a ski chalet.
Diane Plese Education and Training
Diane Plese trained professionally as an optometrist and established her own practice.
The Ontario Court of Appeal specifically describes her as a full-time optometrist who ran her own office during the early years of her marriage. This provides reliable evidence of her professional training and career, although detailed information about the university where she studied and the year she qualified is not provided in the court’s published decision.
Some online biographies attribute specific educational details to Plese, but those claims are not consistently supported by authoritative sources. A publication-ready biography should therefore avoid presenting an institution, degree date, or qualification that cannot be independently verified.
Her professional career nevertheless demonstrates that she had established an independent occupation before becoming primarily involved in raising her children.
Diane Plese Career Beginnings
Diane Plese began her professional life as an optometrist.
According to the Ontario Court of Appeal, she operated her own optometry office during the early years of her marriage. After the birth of her first child in 1993, she reduced her working hours. She continued working part-time around her subsequent maternity leaves.
The court records that in or around 2003, Robert Herjavec encouraged Plese to stop working. She agreed and left the workforce to focus on managing the household and caring for their children.
This change became an important issue during the later spousal-support proceedings. The court considered the effect that Plese’s decision to leave her profession had on her earning capacity and financial position after the marriage ended.
Diane Plese Breakthrough Role
Diane Plese does not have a conventional entertainment-industry breakthrough role.
Unlike Robert Herjavec, whose public career developed through entrepreneurship and television, Plese’s professional background is in optometry. Her public profile increased largely because of her marriage to Herjavec and the high-profile family-law proceedings that followed their separation.
Her career as an optometrist was established before she left the workforce to concentrate on raising the couple’s children. The Ontario Court of Appeal specifically recognized that her career had been interrupted during the marriage and considered this history when reviewing the spousal-support decision.
As a result, her biography is better understood through her medical-professional career, family life, and later legal proceedings than through entertainment credits.
Diane Plese Television and Film Career
Diane Plese has no documented professional television or film career.
Her connection to television comes through Robert Herjavec, who became a recognizable business personality through Dragon’s Den in Canada and Shark Tank in the United States.
Plese herself has generally remained outside the entertainment industry. She has not been publicly credited with acting roles or television presenting work.
Her appearance in media coverage has largely been connected to her marriage and subsequent divorce from Herjavec. Because of this, searches for “Diane Plese” often lead to articles about Robert Herjavec and their family-law case rather than to a conventional celebrity career.
Diane Plese Theatre and Other Work
Theatre is not part of Diane Plese’s documented professional background.
Her primary professional field was optometry. Court records state that she ran her own office before reducing her workload after becoming a mother and later leaving the workforce entirely.
There is also no reliable evidence that she pursued a major public career in writing, entertainment, broadcasting, or other media fields.
Her professional story is therefore closely connected to healthcare and family responsibilities rather than entertainment.
Diane Plese Major Achievements
Diane Plese’s principal documented professional achievement is the establishment of her own optometry practice.
The Ontario Court of Appeal records that she worked full-time as an optometrist and ran her own office during the early years of her marriage. Her later decision to leave the profession was connected to childcare and household responsibilities.
Her role in the family also became relevant during the divorce proceedings. The court considered the effect of her time away from paid employment when assessing her entitlement to spousal support.
There are no widely documented professional awards or major industry honors associated with Plese’s optometry career. Claims about awards should therefore not be added without reliable supporting evidence.
Diane Plese Awards and Nominations
There are no reliably documented major entertainment or professional awards and nominations for Diane Plese.
Her career was in optometry rather than acting or television. Public court records and reliable reporting about her professional life focus primarily on her optometry practice, family responsibilities, and later family-law proceedings.
Consequently, there is no verified awards list to provide.
Diane Plese Personal Life
Diane Plese married Robert Herjavec in 1990. Court records confirm that the couple had three children and separated in July 2014 after 24 years of marriage.
The couple’s children were born in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Court records identify them as a son and two daughters. Public reporting commonly identifies the children as Brendan, Caprice, and Skye.
During the marriage, Plese eventually left her optometry career and focused on caring for the children and managing the household. The court later considered those contributions when determining spousal-support entitlement.
Following their separation, the former couple became involved in lengthy family-law proceedings. Their case addressed property division, spousal support, child support, and issues involving family assets and trusts.
Plese has largely remained out of the public spotlight since the divorce. Her current personal life is not extensively documented by reliable sources.
Diane Plese Net Worth and Earnings
Diane Plese’s exact current net worth has not been reliably disclosed.
Online celebrity websites sometimes publish large estimates, but these figures should not be treated as confirmed financial facts. The court record provides a more precise picture of the financial issues involved in the divorce.
In the 2018 Ontario Superior Court proceedings, the court determined that Robert Herjavec owed Plese an equalization payment of $2,689,558. The court also ordered $125,000 per month in spousal support for an indefinite period. The Ontario Court of Appeal later dismissed Herjavec’s appeal of the spousal-support order.
The financial outcome was more complicated than a single “$25 million cash settlement.” Court materials show that the parties had substantial assets and that Plese already held significant assets of her own. A legal commentary on the case described the broader amount associated with her assets and entitlements as approximately $25 million, but this should not be confused with the formal equalization payment ordered by the court.
Therefore, a specific current net-worth figure for Diane Plese should not be presented as confirmed.
Diane Plese Social Media
Diane Plese has maintained a private public profile.
There is no widely verified official social-media account that can confidently be attributed to her. Unlike Robert Herjavec, who maintains a public professional presence, Plese has generally stayed away from celebrity-oriented media exposure.
Because unverified social-media accounts can easily be mistaken for official profiles, it is safer not to publish usernames or follower numbers without confirmation.
Her limited public presence also means that relatively little current information about her daily life is available.
Diane Plese Latest Projects and Career Updates
There are no widely reported recent entertainment projects involving Diane Plese.
Her last clearly documented professional occupation was optometry, although the Ontario Court of Appeal records that she had left the workforce after deciding to focus on household and childcare responsibilities.
The most significant later development in her public record was the completion of the family-law proceedings arising from her separation from Robert Herjavec.
Herjavec appealed the $125,000 monthly spousal-support order, but the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in December 2020. The appellate court found no basis to overturn the trial judge’s assessment.
Beyond the court proceedings, there is limited reliable information about Plese’s current professional activities. She has continued to maintain a relatively private life.
Diane Plese Interesting Facts
- Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist and the former wife of Robert Herjavec.
- She and Herjavec married in 1990 and separated in 2014 after 24 years of marriage.
- The couple have three children, born in 1993, 1996, and 1998.
- Plese operated her own optometry office during the early years of her marriage.
- She eventually left the workforce to focus on caring for the couple’s children.
- An Ontario court ordered Robert Herjavec to pay $125,000 per month in spousal support for an indefinite period.
- The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed Herjavec’s appeal of that spousal-support order in 2020.
Diane Plese Final Thoughts
Diane Plese has lived a life largely outside the entertainment spotlight despite her connection to one of Canada’s better-known television personalities.
She established a career in optometry and operated her own practice before reducing her work after becoming a mother. She later left the workforce to focus on her family, a decision that became relevant during the financial proceedings following her separation from Robert Herjavec.
Her divorce became a significant Ontario family-law case involving property, spousal support, child support, and substantial family assets. The Ontario Court of Appeal ultimately upheld the $125,000 monthly spousal-support order.
Today, Diane Plese remains a relatively private figure, with much of the reliable public information about her coming from court records rather than from her own media appearances.
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 operated her own optometry office before later leaving the workforce to focus on her family.
What is Diane Plese best known for?
Diane Plese is best known publicly as Robert Herjavec’s former wife and as an optometrist. Her divorce proceedings with Herjavec later became the subject of significant Canadian family-law reporting.
When was Diane Plese born?
Some online biographies report that Diane Plese was born in 1959, but a precise birth date and birth information are not established in the Ontario court records used for this biography. Therefore, the year should be treated as reported rather than fully verified.
What movies or TV shows has Diane Plese appeared in?
Diane Plese does not have a documented professional acting or television career. Her public connection to television comes primarily through her former husband, Robert Herjavec, who appeared on Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank.
What is Diane Plese doing now?
Reliable public information about Diane Plese’s current activities is limited. Her documented professional background is in optometry, and she has generally maintained a private life since her divorce.
