Diane Plese: the life and career of Robert Herjavec’s former spouse
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec's love story started in 1988 with an eye appointment. Years later, their modest lives would change after Robert sold his cybersecurity company for $30.2 million. Soon, the two were walking the red carpet. Nonetheless, a "happily ever after" was not in the cards for this couple. Read on to know more about Diane and how things ended between the two.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec were married for 25 years.
- Their divorce was highly publicized in 2016.
- Robert married Kym Johnson the same year he divorced Diane.
- Diane received $25 million in her divorce settlement.
Diane Plese's profile and bio summary
Full name | Diane Plese |
Date of birth | 1959 |
Age | 66 years old (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Parkdale, Toronto, Canada |
Current residence | Toronto, Canada |
Nationality | Canadian |
Religion | Christianity |
Ethnicity | White |
Height | 5'10'' |
Eye color | Brown |
Hair color | Blonde |
Gender | Female |
Orientation | Heterosexual |
Marital status | Divorced |
Ex-husband | Robert Herjavec |
Relationship status | Unknown |
Children | 3 |
Profession | Optometrist |
Social media | None |
Known as | Robert Herjavec's ex-wife |
Diane Plese's biography
Diane Plese is a Canadian doctor, specifically an optometrist. She is mostly known as the ex-wife of Robert Herjavec, a Croatian-Canadian business investor and television personality who appears in shows like Shark Tank.
Plese was born and raised in Parkdale, Toronto, Canada. She is the daughter of Croatian immigrants who moved to Canada just before her birth, but being born in the country, Diane became a Canadian citizen.
Her ex-husband, Robert Herjavec, was born in 1962 in Varaždin, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia). He spent his early childhood in Zbjeg. Robert lived on a farm and worked there with his family.
At a young age, Robert aspired to make films and pursued such a career after graduating from the University of Toronto. He later transitioned to sales and business after discovering his potential in the field, joining Logiquest and selling IBM mainframe emulation boards.
Robert Herjavec's success in the field led him to become a general manager in the company, but he soon left to form his company, BRAK Systems.
Source: Original
What is Diane Plese's age?
Born in 1959, Diane is 66 years old in 2025. Her exact birth date and month are unknown.
Educational background
She completed her college degree in the '70s and became a doctor in the early '80s. Diane practiced in her field for several years before she got married in 1990.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec's story
Diane and Robert first met in the 1980s when she was still a practising optometrist. He had a routine appointment at her eye clinic. Plese was instantly drawn to his outgoing demeanor.
The two soon started dating, and in 1990, they married in a Croatian church in Ontario, Canada, paying homage to their Croatian roots.
At the time, Herjavec was far from the globally recognized face of Shark Tank. He was only a tech entrepreneur with big dreams that Diane admired.
Diane was by Herjavec's side as he started his company, BRAK Systems, in their basement. After successfully selling it in 2000, to AT&T Canada (now Allstream Inc.) for $30.2 million
The couple became well-known personalities in Canada, with Robert appearing in the TV shows Dragon's Den and Shark Tank.
In 2003, he founded The Herjavec Group, now one of the largest information technology and computer security companies in Canada, with over $200 million in annual revenue.
Robert Herjavec and Diane Plese's children
Their marriage was blessed with three children, daughters Caprice Herjavec and Skye Herjavec, and a son named Brendan Herjavec. Robert and Diane’s eldest child, Brendan, was born in 1993.
He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University, attended the Yale School of Management, and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a master's in business administration.
Source: UGC
Brendan worked as the strategy and revenue operations manager for Inkblot Therapy and now leads the same department at GreenShield, a Canadian health and benefits organization.
He also hosts Building Blocks With Brendan Herjavec, a podcast in which Brendan interviews entrepreneurs. Although not much is known about his personal life, he posted his engagement to his now-wife, Jessica Herjavec, in April 2022.
His sister, Skye, was born in 1996. She attended Havergal College, an independent day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Canada, where she ran cross country.
At the time, Skye and her siblings lived in the Bridle Path area of Toronto. She went ahead and attended the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management.
At USC, Skye was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. As of 2018, she had worked as an investment banking analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Robert Herjavec and Diane Plese's youngest child, Caprice, was born in 1998 and earned the title of “Mayor for a Day" in Toronto at the age of 14.
Caprice began rowing at Havergal College in her senior year of high school. After graduating in 2016, she joined the women’s rowing team as a coxswain at Barnard College of Columbia University.
She works as a consultant for Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. in New York City, having joined the firm as a full-time employee in 2020.
Robert Herjavec and Diane Plese's divorce
After 24 years of marriage, Robert and Diane ultimately separated in 2014, and at the time, the mom of three shut down any rumors surrounding their split.
The two would later announce they were getting a divorce in March 2015, revealing they had been separated since July 2014. By 2015, Plese had officially filed for divorce, and it was finalized the following year.
Source: UGC
Though the couple never revealed the reasons behind their split, news leaked that Herjavec had an affair with actress Danielle Vasinova in 2014. This led to a lengthy divorce battle in court, and his children, Caprice, Skye, and Brendan, stopped talking to him after the split.
Speaking about the situation, Robert revealed he had contemplated to end his life following their separation. He told People magazine he stood on the balcony of a Toronto hotel room last July with thoughts of jumping:
I just wanted to end it. Everyone has their kryptonite. For me, it was my kids. It took me to a place I never thought I would go.
According to reports, the Canadian businessman was ordered to pay his ex-wife $125k monthly for spousal support, which was later terminated by a court decision in 2021. However, Diane got $25 million of Robert Herjavec’s fortune and $2.5 million equalization payment.
What is Diane Plese's net worth?
Robert Herjavec’s ex-wife has a reported net worth of more than $100 million, which is partly from her divorce settlement and property sold after the dissolution of her previous marriage.
Today, reputable sources like Celebritynetworth report that Robert Herjavec's net worth is around $600 million. He became rich by starting and selling successful technology companies, notably BRAK Systems and later The Herjavec Group.
Herjavec's wealth was built on an entrepreneurial mindset and expertise in the evolving field of internet security, allowing him to build a large cybersecurity empire and become a famous investor on Shark Tank.
Did Robert leave his wife for Kym?
After separating from his wife, Diane, Robert met Australian ballroom dancer Kym Johnson during dance rehearsals for Dancing with the Stars in 2015. However, he reportedly has an affair with native American actress Danielle Vasinova while still married to Diane.
Source: UGC
Is Diane Plese married?
There are no reports of her remarrying after she divorced Robert Herjavec.
Is Diane Plese on social media?
She is not active on any social networking platforms. According to sources, there is an account on X (Twitter) bearing her name, but it has been inactive since 2009.
Who is Robert from Shark Tank's first wife?
Robert Herjavec's first wife is Diane Plese. They were married in 1990, had three children, and separated in 2014 before their divorce was finalized in early 2016.
Which Shark married Dancing with the Stars?
Robert Herjavec, star of Shark Tank, married his Dancing with the Stars dance partner, Kym Johnson, in October 2016, after meeting her during rehearsals for season 20 of the show.
Their relationship began on the show, and they are the first celebrity and professional partnership to get married from Dancing with the Stars.
The couple has two children, Hudson Robert Herjavec and Haven Mae Herjavec, who were born on April 23, 2018. The twins are Robert's youngest children.
How many kids does Robert from Shark Tank have?
Robert is a father of five. He has three kids, Caprice, Skye, and Brendan, with his ex-wife Diane, and twins Haven and Hudson, with his current wife, Kym.
Source: UGC
Is Diane Plese on Wikipedia?
She is mentioned in Robert Herjavec’s biography as his ex-wife, but does not have a stand-alone Wikipedia page featuring her story.
Facts about Diane Plese
- Diane gave up her optometry practice to care for the children while married to Robert.
- There was no prenuptial agreement between her and Herjavec.
- Herjavec was initially ordered to pay Plese an ongoing monthly spousal support of $125k, but that was later terminated by a court decision in 2021.
- Instead, she was awarded a $2.5 million equalization payment, plus the settlement amount of $25 million in total, for her contributions to the marriage.
- Robert owns and lives in the house he lived in with Diane in Toronto.
- Diane and Robert's former residence was featured on MTV Cribs.
- The property has hosted many celebs, including Michael Bublé and John Travolta.
Diane Plese did not receive half of Robert Herjavec's wealth because assets acquired before their marriage and the duration of the marriage were not eligible for equal division under Canadian law. She has faded away from the spotlight, with her life in Canada being relatively quiet.
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Source: Briefly News
Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo has vast experience in search engine optimization through digital content generation, research, editing, and proofreading. She joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019 and completed the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
Nompumelelo Ngubeni (Lifestyle writer) Nompumelelo Ngubeni is an editor of Lifestyle content with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Honours Language Practice from North-West University (2016). She has over 8 years of experience in proofreading, research, subtitling, and editing. Strong media and communication professional. Nompumelelo joined Briefly News in 2022. Email: nompumelelongubeni@ymail.com
