Dean McDermott asserts he's 'a good guy that messed up'

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Dean McDermott says he is a good guy who messed up.

The 47-year-old reality star defended himself for cheating on wife Tori Spelling in an interview with E! News on Monday. McDermott was unfaithful to Spelling in December 2013, and told the website he would like the public to stop vilifying him for his infidelity.

"I would love for the public to see me as just a human being," he related. "I'm just trying. I'm trying to get through this life, I'm trying to do some good and I'm trying to teach my kids right from wrong and just have a good life."

"I messed up," he admitted. "People make mistakes, but those mistakes don't define them. It's what you do after the mistakes that really shows your true character. So I would like people to take away form all of this that I'm a good guy that messed up that is just trying to put my life back together."

McDermott confessed to feeling hurt by public opinion in an interview with ET Canada in October. The reality star declared he's not "evil" or "a monster," and reminded host Cheryl Hickey he is "not the first person to ever cheat on his wife."

McDermott and Spelling currently star on Lifetime reality series True Tori. The program airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET, and follows the couple as they attempt to repair their marriage and move on from the scandal. The pair have been married since May 2006, and have four children together.