Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist who became widely known through her marriage to businessman, entrepreneur, and television investor Robert Herjavec. Born in 1959 in Toronto, Canada, she developed her own professional identity in healthcare. She became famous mainly as Robert Herjavec’s former wife.
Their long marriage, three children, separation, and major divorce settlement brought considerable attention to Diane, although she personally preferred a quiet and private lifestyle. This biography explores Diane Plese’s early life, Croatian family background, education, optometry career, relationship with Robert Herjavec, marriage, children, divorce settlement, financial position, private lifestyle, and life following their separation.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Diane Plese |
| Birth Year | 1959 |
| Birthplace | Parkdale, Toronto, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | White, Croatian background |
| Profession | Optometrist |
| Field | Eye Care |
| Education | Studied Optometry |
| Former Husband | Robert Herjavec |
| Met Robert Herjavec | 1988 |
| Marriage Year | 1990 |
| Separation | 2014 |
| Divorce Filed | 2015 |
| Divorce Finalized | 2016 |
| Children | Three |
| Children’s Names | Brendan, Skye, and Caprice Herjavec |
| Reported Divorce Settlement | Around $25 million |
| Current Residence | Toronto, Canada |
| Known For | Former wife of Robert Herjavec |
Early Life and Croatian Family Background
Diane Plese was born in 1959 in Parkdale, Toronto, Canada, where she spent her early years and developed strong connections with her Canadian upbringing. She comes from a Croatian family background, as her parents were Croatian immigrants who had moved to Canada before Diane was born.
Growing up in an immigrant family gave her life a combination of Canadian and Croatian cultural influences. Diane later maintained a private approach to her personal history, so her childhood never became a major part of her public identity. Her story instead became better known through her healthcare career and later family life.
Diane Plese’s Age and Birthplace
Diane Plese was born in 1959 in Parkdale, Toronto, Canada. Based on her reported birth year, she is around 67 years old in 2026. She grew up in Canada in a family with Croatian roots. Her parents were Croatian immigrants who moved to Canada before Diane was born.
Her Canadian upbringing and Croatian family background remained important parts of her early life. Diane later built her career as an optometrist in Canada. Despite becoming known through Robert Herjavec, she has generally kept her personal life away from media attention.
Education and Professional Career
Diane chose healthcare as her professional path and studied optometry before becoming a qualified eye doctor in Canada. She entered the profession during the mid-1980s and developed her career years before her relationship with Robert Herjavec made her name widely recognized.
Diane eventually operated her own eye care practice, building an independent professional identity through her work with patients. Her occupation required medical knowledge, attention to detail, and direct patient care, giving her a career separate from the business world associated with her former husband. Optometry remained an important part of Diane’s personal and professional story throughout her public profile.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec’s First Meeting
Diane Plese first met Robert Herjavec in 1988 under circumstances directly connected with her profession as an optometrist. Robert visited the eye clinic where Diane was working for an examination, creating the unexpected first meeting that eventually developed into a long relationship.
Robert was still a young entrepreneur at the time and had not yet achieved the level of business and television recognition he would later enjoy. Diane was attracted to his personality and positive attitude, and the two soon began dating. Their relationship continued for approximately two years before they decided to take the next major step and get married.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec’s Long Marriage
Diane Plese married Robert Herjavec in 1990, approximately two years after the couple first met at the eye clinic where she worked. Their wedding took place at a Croatian church in Mississauga, Ontario, reflecting the cultural background that formed an important part of their family lives. During their marriage, Robert developed a highly successful entrepreneurial career while Diane maintained her professional and family responsibilities.
Robert founded internet security company BRAK Systems and later sold the business to AT&T Canada in 2000 for $30.2 million. As his business success expanded, Diane and Robert continued building their family together in Canada.
Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec’s Children
Diane and Robert became parents to three children during their marriage: Brendan, Skye, and Caprice Herjavec. Brendan, their eldest child, was born in 1993 and later studied business administration before entering areas connected with business strategy and development. Skye was born in 1996 and attended the University of Southern California, where she was also involved with the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Their youngest child, Caprice, was born in 1998 and became a competitive swimmer during college before later working as a consultant in executive compensation. The three siblings have generally maintained relatively private lives despite their father’s public profile.
Her Role During Robert Herjavec’s Business Success
Diane shared more than two decades of her life with Robert during an important period of his development as an entrepreneur and businessman. Robert’s career grew significantly throughout their marriage, particularly through his work in technology and internet security. One of his major achievements came through BRAK Systems, the Canadian internet security company that was eventually sold to AT&T Canada for $30.2 million in 2000.
Diane, meanwhile, continued balancing her own healthcare background with family responsibilities as the couple raised three children. Their marriage therefore covered many of the years in which Robert moved from a young entrepreneur into a highly successful businessman.
Separation and Divorce
After more than two decades together, Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec separated in July 2014, marking the end of their long marital relationship. Diane filed for divorce in March 2015, and the legal process was completed in 2016 after a marriage that had lasted approximately 24 years before their separation.
Their breakup attracted considerable attention because Robert had become a recognizable entrepreneur and television personality by that period. Reports surrounding their separation discussed difficulties within their relationship and speculation concerning Robert’s personal life. Robert also described the divorce as an extremely difficult period and indicated that the couple had gradually grown apart.
Divorce Settlement and Properties
The financial settlement connected with Diane and Robert’s divorce became another widely discussed part of their separation. Diane reportedly received around $25 million through the divorce settlement, together with monthly financial support and valuable property interests. The settlement was also reported to include assets such as a home in Florida and a ski chalet located in Caledon.
These arrangements followed a marriage that had lasted for more than two decades and overlapped with Robert’s significant rise in business success. The settlement gave Diane considerable financial resources as she entered a new stage of life following the conclusion of her marriage in 2016.
Diane Plese’s Life After Divorce
Following her divorce, Diane moved away from the public attention surrounding her former husband and continued living a much quieter life in Canada. She has not pursued an entertainment career and has generally avoided the interviews, television appearances, and publicity commonly associated with celebrity figures.
Her private lifestyle creates a clear contrast with Robert, whose work as an entrepreneur, investor, and television personality has kept him in the public eye. Diane has instead maintained a low-profile existence, with little attention placed on her daily activities. Her life after divorce has consequently remained centered far more on privacy than public celebrity exposure.
Robert Herjavec’s Life After Their Marriage
Robert Herjavec eventually entered another important relationship following the end of his marriage to Diane Plese. He found love with Australian professional dancer Kym Johnson, who became well known through her involvement with the television competition Dancing with the Stars. Robert and Kym married in 2016, the same year his divorce from Diane was finalized, and later expanded their family.
In 2018, Kym gave birth to their twins, Haven and Hudson. Robert also continued developing his professional identity through entrepreneurship, investment, and television, including his role on Shark Tank, while Diane continued following a considerably more private path in Canada.
Diane Plese’s Net Worth and Financial Position
Diane Plese has been associated with substantial wealth through both her professional career and the financial outcome of her divorce from Robert Herjavec. Estimates surrounding her wealth have placed her net worth at around $100 million, although the most frequently discussed financial figure from her divorce is the reported settlement of approximately $25 million.
Her settlement also included monthly support and interests in valuable properties, including a Florida home and Caledon ski chalet. Diane additionally spent many years working professionally as an optometrist, providing an independent source of income. Her overall financial story therefore combines professional earnings, property, and divorce-related assets.
Social Media and Private Lifestyle
Unlike many people connected with famous television personalities, Diane Plese has never developed a strong public presence through social media or entertainment platforms. She does not appear to maintain major official public social accounts and has largely remained outside the celebrity publicity cycle.
Her approach is consistent with the privacy she has maintained throughout much of her life, even when her marriage and divorce attracted public interest. Robert continues to have a much more visible professional profile and sometimes shares family-related updates publicly. Diane, however, rarely appears in that environment and continues to be recognized for maintaining a private lifestyle in Toronto, Canada.
Where Is Diane Plese Now?
Diane Plese continues to be associated with Toronto, Canada, where she has maintained a private lifestyle following the end of her marriage. Her current life is considerably removed from the television attention connected with Robert Herjavec, and she rarely participates in public events or media appearances.
Although her former relationship continues to generate interest in her biography, Diane has not transformed that recognition into a celebrity career of her own. Her background remains rooted in healthcare, family, and Canadian life rather than entertainment. Today, she is primarily remembered as an optometrist, mother of three, and Robert Herjavec’s former wife.
Final Thoughts
Diane Plese has a life story that combines professional achievement, family responsibilities, a long marriage, and significant public interest created by her relationship with Robert Herjavec. Before becoming recognized as his wife, she had already established a healthcare career as an optometrist and built an identity separate from Robert’s entrepreneurial success.
Their marriage produced three children and lasted more than two decades before ending in divorce. Despite the attention surrounding their separation and financial settlement, Diane chose privacy rather than celebrity exposure. Her story today remains closely connected with her optometry career, Croatian-Canadian background, family, and former marriage to Robert.
FAQs
Who is Diane Plese?
Diane Plese is a Canadian optometrist best known as Robert Herjavec’s former wife. She had an established career in eye care before gaining public attention through her marriage to the businessman and Shark Tank investor.
How old is Diane Plese?
Diane Plese was born in 1959 in Parkdale, Toronto, Canada. Based on her reported birth year, she is around 67 years old in 2026. Her exact birth date has not been shared in interviews.
What does Diane Plese do for a living?
Diane Plese is an optometrist who built a professional career in eye care. She started working in the field during the mid-1980s and later operated her own eye care practice in Canada.
How did Diane Plese meet Robert Herjavec?
Diane met Robert Herjavec in 1988 when he visited the eye clinic where she worked for an examination. They developed a relationship after meeting and dated for approximately two years before marrying in 1990.
How many children does Diane Plese have?
Diane Plese has three children with Robert Herjavec. Their names are Brendan, Skye, and Caprice Herjavec. All three are adults and have generally maintained more private lives than their famous father.
Why did Diane Plese and Robert Herjavec divorce?
Diane and Robert separated in 2014 after more than two decades of marriage. Diane filed for divorce in 2015, and it was finalized in 2016. Robert later said that the couple had grown apart.
What is Diane Plese’s net worth?
Diane Plese’s net worth has been estimated at around $100 million. Her wealth has been associated with her optometry career, divorce settlement, and property, including a reported settlement of approximately $25 million.
