Bethenny Frankel: Skinny Girl

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

17 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

She has lots of friends.  One doesn't have to be a relative in order to help someone else through the grieving process.  Ramona may have her faults, but recalling how she was always checking on Bethenny when she had to have surgery because she was practically hemorrhaging,  I really do believe that some of the ladies will step up and help her, among the countless friends we've seen her associate with over the course of her TV career.

I hope she has someone. When I think of B I don't think of tight warm friendships. She called Dennis when she was in crisis in Cartagena. Hope she's ok, and yes on Jill this may be what brings those 2 crows together. I think Ramona will be helpful also. Ramona do NOT call Mario's affair like a death PS long story short! 

@JennyMominFL thinking of you and your husband. Keep strong lean on us for snark and good vibes and support. We gotcha. 

[ShawnaLanne]

41 minutes ago, Rosiejuliemom said:

I hope Bethenny defers to the family in this instance. If the family doesn't want her there, I hope she sits it out (as painful as that might be). I absolutely agree with you that she shouldn't sit with the immediate family. Unless they want her there.

What does Carole's earlier tweet, sent before she found out about Dennis, have to do with her tweeting her condolences? Even if the earlier tweet was taking a swipe at Bethenny, it still has fuck-all to do with her feelings about Dennis and the entire situation. I don't believe for a second that Carole doesn't have empathy for someone losing a loved one. She's been there.

Frankel has lost loved ones, so that was a questionable remark on its own. Carole took swipes at Dennis this season. She may have empathy, but she sure doesn't have common sense, this comes across as attention seeking and not sincere, given how she just posted that she had three deaths in three weeks.

Edited August 11, 2018 by ShawnaLanne

[amypdx]

1 hour ago, albarino said:

 Please reference Spencer Tracey.

Long ago, I dated a man who had been separated for something like 10 years. He finally admitted that the reason he didn’t finalize the divorce was “because he’d just have to get married again (to me I guess).  

[Rosiejuliemom]

4 minutes ago, ShawnaLanne said:

Frankel has lost loved ones, so that was a questionable remark on it's iwn. Carole took swipes at Dennis this season. She may have empathy, but she sure doesn't have common sense, this comes across as attention seeking and not sincere, given how she just posted that she had three deaths in three weeks.

Mileage varies and all that, but she was responding to someone else who said she wasn't capable of providing comfort. 

Plus, today is the anniversary of Anthony's death.

It didn't seem insincere or lacking in common sense to me.

[ShawnaLanne]

1 minute ago, Rosiejuliemom said:

Mileage varies and all that, but she was responding to someone else who said she wasn't capable of providing comfort. 

Plus, today is the anniversary of Anthony's death.

It didn't seem insincere or lacking in common sense to me.

We can always find something to support a narrative, as the posts on this board attest to. I think she piggybacked on Anthony's death today to take additional jabs at B.

[Rosiejuliemom]

1 minute ago, ShawnaLanne said:

We can always find something to support a narrative, as the posts on this board attest to. I think she piggybacked on Anthony's death today to take additional jabs at B.

Fair enough.

I disagree.

[Persnickety1]

Now other co-stars are reacting....

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/08/10/rhony-stars-react-to-bethenny-frankels-on-off-boyfriend-dennis-shields-death.html

(Apparently the only new reaction is from Sonja but still an interesting read)

Edited August 11, 2018 by Persnickety1

[MrsBestes]

12 minutes ago, Christi said:

I certainly wouldn't.  His wife just made a statement that he was the love of her life.  It's just weird and is disrespectful to me...which is why I believe that a person should end their past relationships before starting new ones.

This is a mess for the loved ones.  Would Beth sit in the back?  I'm sure his wife and kids will be in the front. 

My parents DIVORCED and it was weird with the new family. It just WAS.  Kids may SAY they are fine with it, but I guarantee there are lingering feelings.

I understand that she said he was the love of her life, but she herself has moved on and has a significant other. I believe people can be the “love of your life” but still not mean you are good together as a couple. They have known eachother for something like 30 years, were married and lived together for many of those years & have children together. They definitely had a very deep connection. 

The whole family knows about B (it was on tv & written about in tabloids) and have for years. In my opinion I think she has the right to attend the funeral. Sit with the family no, but attend if she wants. 

Many people now aren’t divorcing and just separating for financial reasons (taxes, medical insurance, assets etc.). If it works for the people involved, I don’t see the problem with it. 

[AnnA]

12 minutes ago, ShawnaLanne said:

We can always find something to support a narrative, as the posts on this board attest to. I think she piggybacked on Anthony's death today to take additional jabs at B.

It's bizarre and more than a little creepy that Dennis died on the anniversary of Anthony's death.     If Carole was ever Bethenny's friend I think she should have reached out to her today

Edited August 11, 2018 by AnnA

[QuinnM]

2 hours ago, Fiero425 said:

You'll see her post a pic wearing black soon; mark my words!

Well it’s NYC so that is the whole spectrum of daywear, black on black with black.

Now on the 72 hour rule the update is that this was a heart attack that he mistook for a OD.  So the slowly all this will take a few days before we have all the bits.

[Persnickety1]

1 minute ago, QuinnM said:

Well it’s NYC so that is the whole spectrum of daywear, black on black with black.

Now on the 72 hour rule the update is that this was a heart attack that he mistook for a OD.  So the slowly all this will take a few days before we have all the bits.

Do you know if this is from the medical examiner or speculative?

[albarino]

40 minutes ago, Mrs peel said:

Spencer Tracy and his wife didn’t divorce because she was Catholic and in that era Catholics were more than strongly discouraged from divorcing.  I don’t see it as the same.

I read she was Episcopalian (he was Catholic).  The point was that people don't divorce for all sorts of reasons.  Religion may be one of them.  Spencer and  Katherine had a 26 year relationship while he was legally married hence my reference to him.  

[JennyMominFL]

 When Sonny Bono died, i remember Cher crying at his memorial and stating that he was the love of her life.  They were long divorced and had moved on. Im not sure what the situation is with the wife, but im not reading too much into it.

[OldButHappy]

29 minutes ago, Christi said:

 

1 hour ago, MrsBestes said:

I think she should be able to attend. They have been separated for a while & it looks like the wife has a significant other (I looked at her Instagram page). The kids are all older & I’m sure understand their parents relationship. 

I certainly wouldn't.  His wife just made a statement that he was the love of her life.  It's just weird and is disrespectful to me...which is why I believe that a person should end their past relationships before starting new ones.

This is a mess for the loved ones.  Would Beth sit in the back?  I'm sure his wife and kids will be in the front. 

My parents DIVORCED and it was weird with the new family. It just WAS.  Kids may SAY they are fine with it, but I guarantee there are lingering feelings.

 

Amen.  Based in my experience (others may feel differently when they're in this situation), having the girlfriend there makes things worse.  It adds another layer of emotional stress to a situation that's already a nightmare - people feel awkward about what to say in front of who, you keep getting reminded of the worst part of your life with the man who died, and the fact that she's there becomes a topic of conversation that you're not a part of.

And if the girlfriend's presence had generated hoards of paparazzi at the wake and funeral, I would have been very angry.

[maggiemae]

Good Lord - call 911 - not send an assistant out to get some for a pharmacy!

[SheTalksShit]

32 minutes ago, AnnA said:

It's bizarre and more than a little creepy that Dennis died on the anniversary of Anthony's death.     If Carole was ever Bethenny's friend I think she should have reached out to her today

Why? Just because you feel bad for DENNIS dying doesn’t mean you wanna be Bethenny’s friend again or talk to her. 

I get where Carol’s coming from, she’s been there for Bethenny’s constant non-crisis events that she calls a crisis so much, that by the time there is an actual crisis, she’s built up so much annoyance and resentment towards her self-involved and high-maintainance behavior that she just can’t bring herself to wanna reach out and be there again. 

This is probably the one and only real tragedy and hardship Bethenny has ever experienced in her life. 

RIP Dennis, must have been quite an extraordinary man to have dealt with Bethenny’s ass for as long as he did. 

[AnnA]

2 minutes ago, SheTalksShit said:

Why? 

        Because it's the right thing to do.

[SheTalksShit]

50 minutes ago, QuinnM said:

Well it’s NYC so that is the whole spectrum of daywear, black on black with black.

Now on the 72 hour rule the update is that this was a heart attack that he mistook for a OD.  So the slowly all this will take a few days before we have all the bits.

That would make a lot more sense! Bc if he was ODing, he wouldn’t wake up hours later and request the maid get narcon, bc the worst would already be over, he wouldn’t need it. The Ocy knocked him out and made him fall asleep, then he woke up and so clearly, he hadn’t OD’d. 

Heart attack sounds much more likely. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by SheTalksShit

[b2H]

I can see where the finale has a black screen acknowledging the passing unless Andy is specifically told not to.  Dennis was on the show, even on a limited basis, and certainly his past season (as noted at Ramona’s).  Just as any other secondary character would have been done.

[ancslove]

I'm hoping Andy and Bravo edit what they need to of the remaining eps this season.  I can bet that Bethenny's season-ending blurb may need to be reworked.  And I really hope that any mentions of Dennis during the reunion are cut.  

[SheTalksShit]

9 minutes ago, AnnA said:

        Because it's the right thing to do.

Yeah well, there are a lot of things Bethenny coulda done bc it’s the right thing to do but she didn’t. 

She and the rest of the cast have lent Bethenny enough emotional support to last a lifetime and a half. But Bethenny is a bottomless pit of needs and selfishness, unless she’s center of attention and in control 24/7, she’s in crisis and needs someone to lean on or she’ll freak the fuck out. 

Maybe this will put things in perspective for her next time she wants to cry about being in a beautiful villa in Columbia or rudely interrupt Tinsley to say she can’t bear to talk about shopping for one more second. 

[ShawnaLanne]

I'm thinking about narratives, the stories we tell ourselves to comfort and explain the world. This thread in some places is reading "Uppity woman gets her comeuppance, through death of lover." 

[AnnA]

2 minutes ago, SheTalksShit said:

Yeah well, there are a lot of things Bethenny coulda done bc it’s the right thing to do but she didn’t. 

 

          Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Jel]

1 minute ago, AnnA said:

          Two wrongs don't make a right.

True. I feel like the day a HW loses a long time friend/love is a good day to think about these women as actual human beings, not just dancing monkeys for our entertainment. It's sobering. The events. Reading the threads. All of it.

[Keywestclubkid]

1 hour ago, albarino said:

I read she was Episcopalian (he was Catholic).  The point was that people don't divorce for all sorts of reasons.  Religion may be one of them.  Spencer and  Katherine had a 26 year relationship while he was legally married hence my reference to him.  

Ummm isn’t adultry a big sin? And I mean a little redundant to sin to not sin. Just seems strange anyway didn’t mean to bring this back up.

Edited August 11, 2018 by Keywestclubkid

[AnnA]

5 minutes ago, Jel said:

True. I feel like the day a HW loses a long time friend/love is a good day to think about these women as actual human beings, not just dancing monkeys for our entertainment. It's sobering. The events. Reading the threads. All of it.

         Yes and we should remember that the HWs aren't the only ones judged by what they say and do. 

[albarino]

2 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Ummm isn’t adultry a big sin? And I mean a little redundant to sin to not sin. Lol 

What part of religion may not be a part of this situation do you not understand?  If religion isn't the issue, the sin isn't the reason, n'est pas? 

Could be a legal issue, no?

[Keywestclubkid]

3 minutes ago, albarino said:

What part of religion may not be a part of this situation do you not understand?  If religion isn't the issue, the sin isn't the reason, n'est pas? 

Could be a legal issue, no?

umm you said religion may be a part not it wasn't thats what I was responding to ...your post was 

I read she was Episcopalian (he was Catholic).  The point was that people don't divorce for all sorts of reasons. **** Religion may be one of them****.  Spencer and  Katherine had a 26 year relationship while he was legally married hence my reference to him.  

Edited August 11, 2018 by Keywestclubkid

[crgirl412]

1 hour ago, JennyMominFL said:

My husband takes oxycodone for chronic pain. He had an aortic dissection in 2007 at 40..  You know that thing that killed John Ritter.  He was in the hospital for 3 months, But he had a lot of complications including compartment syndrome leading to a fasciotomy. He almost lost the leg and lives every day feeling like his foot is in a fire.  He even had 2 neurostimulators surgically inserted into his back for the pain. Both failed and he now needs another surgery. Hes been on all the pain meds incluidng Oxy, methadone and fentynol. Currently hes back to Oxy. Its freakimg horrible and i”m afraid im going to find him dead one day. Hes afraid hes going to die one day too, but he cant live like this.  

 So there are plenty of people in chronic pain on oxy. I really hurt for Bethany and for his family. And Im sorry, I just saw the small tAlk note

WOW, that's a lot to deal with.  I'm almost certain he already has a chronic pain doctor due to already having neurostimulators but if not, find one.  They can do things other docs can't.

[Brock1976]

The bald guy who Bethenny took to Carol's party this season is the guy I mean, forget his name, sad, they say it was from an overdose, which surprised me, he didn't strike me as a drug user, 

[crgirl412]

I have no idea if he was abusing anything legal or illegal but a point of information about some drugs. 

Cocaine is very hard on the cardiovascular system and can be the COD even after someone has been sober for years as the damage is already done.  Also, narcan only works on opioids not benzos, stimulants or cocaine.      

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

1 hour ago, Rosiejuliemom said:

 

Plus, today is the anniversary of Anthony's death.

 

Wow. That's crazy.  Carole will come through for B. I think. 

38 minutes ago, SheTalksShit said:

 

Maybe this will put things in perspective for her next time she wants to cry about being in a beautiful villa in Columbia or rudely interrupt Tinsley to say she can’t bear to talk about shopping for one more second. 

Exactly. THIS is a crisis. 

All those years B saying she doesn't have a father when he was alive and well.   Dennis' kids don't have a father. #facts 

[SheTalksShit]

His name is Dennis Shields.

5 days ago, he did an interview on a radio show and said they weren’t together. But 4 weeks ago, they were together, he said. 

Idk. I’m wondering if part of the reason they were so on-off had to do with his addiction to these oxy’s (if he was, indeed, addicted, I don’t know that he was, but him asking the maid for narcon makes me think it’s a strong possibility). 

Edited August 11, 2018 by SheTalksShit

[Feline Queen]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/bethenny-frankels-late-boyfriend-dennis-shields-was-a-steadying-rock-for-her-source-says/ar-BBLLNM5

[breezy424]

I've been reading all the posts about Dennis dying today and it just reminds me that it's really important to wait until facts come out before drawing conclusions.  The first story that was linked was that Shields called his assistant and that he had the Narcan.  Conclusion by many - he was an addict and may have used Narcan in the past.  The next story is that he told his housekeeper he wasn't feeling well and sent her to buy Narcan because he thought he was overdosing.  That's a whole different story.  Then there are others who are now saying he had a heart attack (I don't know how anyone would actually know that at this point). 

Bottom line - I'm not drawing any conclusions at this point.  I don't know how long Shields was taking opioids.  It could have been three days or three years for all I know.  What I do know is that I feel really badly for his children and loved ones. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by breezy424

[SheTalksShit]

Ya’ll, this is why I never take painkillers. I’ve been prescribed them a few times after surgeries (cosmetic procedures, I won’t lie, I’m vain like that haha) but I never take them. I took 1 oxy the day I had Lipo as the local anesthesia wore off and it felt like somebody had just stabbed me in the stomach and it made me go to sleep. Woke up the next day and the pain was still there, but not nearly as sharp, so I just took a Tylenol xtra strength and was good with that the rest of the time. 

I read Dennis was taking Oxycotin after being prescribed it when he was recovering from a back surgery in 2015. So he’d been on that shit for a while. 

Granted, I’ve never had chronic pain, so I don’t know what that’s like, I don’t. But I do know that even if you’re prescribed a certain amount of painkillers, you don’t have to take them and you shouldn’t take them, imo, unless the pain is literally too unbearable to deal with without them. But you should always try over-the-counter, non-addictive forms of painkillers, first, like Tylenol, Advil, etc. 

bc even a 10 day prescription (what I was given) is enough time ttime get you hooked, you will feel the withdrawal effects if you take it twice every day for 10 days. 

They really should only be taken as needed. 

[hisbunkie]

3 hours ago, LilaFowler said:

t seems that Dennis was having his cake and eating it too. Men like him and the women in his life who let him get away with it. Sigh.

I’m not sure how anyone but those in the relationship can know who has the cake and who is eating it.. the couple maintained a legal contract (marriage) for reasons we are not privy to. 

It appears as though all parties were aware that they were involved with others. 

There are couples who can maintain friendly relationships after a marital breakup.  Bethany appears to have known Dennis and his wife for decades, I would expect her to be part of the funeral and stand with family members.  That’s how I would treat someone in similar circumstances. 

[DelicateDee]

I don't understand the thinking of some who say that it was damn near negligent of Beth to have had Dennis around her daughter because he might have been "doing drugs", etc.  To make it sound like the man was shooting up in front of a child because he may have popped a pain killer that morning is absurd.  Opiate addiction, while troublesome and a social problem, is quite different from addiction to illegal "street" drugs.  For some who use them, it could be a matter of having chronic pain so bad, that one may be not be able to even get out of bed without them, as was the case with Prince (per Sheila E).  Most illegal drugs alter the brain like too much alcohol does, where you have a skewed sense of reality.  Pain drugs alleviate pain, not make you "drunk" or unable to function.  B`s daughter would not have any idea that he was "on drugs".  It doesn't make her an unfit mother to have had her daughter around Dennis.  The lengths that some go to slam Bethenny astounds me.  I guess parents who have minor children should never take a doctor prescribed pain killer lest the DCPS should come knocking on their door and removing their children from their home.  What happened to Dennis is very sad and heart wrenching, as he appeared to be a nice guy that cared for Bethenny, even though they had agreed to be apart and see other people.  I wish all those who loved him find the strength to persevere with dignity and peace.  And FWIW, I think that it's hitting Bethenny harder than the wife who he's been separated from (and who some have said has another man).  She's the past, B was the present.  It's a whole different kind of loss for his children.   Just so sad.

[MrsBestes]

14 minutes ago, DelicateDee said:

I don't understand the thinking of some who say that it was damn near negligent of Beth to have had Dennis around her daughter because he might have been "doing drugs", etc.  To make it sound like the man was shooting up in front of a child because he may have popped a pain killer that morning is absurd.  Opiate addiction, while troublesome and a social problem, is quite different from addiction to illegal "street" drugs.  For some who use them, it could be a matter of having chronic pain so bad, that one may be not be able to even get out of bed without them, as was the case with Prince (per Sheila E).  Most illegal drugs alter the brain like too much alcohol does, where you have a skewed sense of reality.  Pain drugs alleviate pain, not make you "drunk" or unable to function.  B`s daughter would not have any idea that he was "on drugs".  It doesn't make her an unfit mother to have had her daughter around Dennis.  The lengths that some go to slam Bethenny astounds me.  I guess parents who have minor children should never take a doctor prescribed pain killer lest the DCPS should come knocking on their door and removing their children from their home.  What happened to Dennis is very sad and heart wrenching, as he appeared to be a nice guy that cared for Bethenny, even though they had agreed to be apart and see other people.  I wish all those who loved him find the strength to persevere with dignity and peace.  And FWIW, I think that it's hitting Bethenny harder than the wife who he's been separated from (and who some have said has another man).  She's the past, B was the present.  It's a whole different kind of loss for his children.   Just so sad.

Im sorry, this is wrong. Pain medication absolutely can make people high & act crazy. If someone is sensitive to a drug, has no tolerance, or takes more then prescribed they can act very under the influence. I’m not saying Dennis did this, but it absolutely can and does happen.

Edited to add: I completely agree with you about how disgusting it is how hard people are slamming her. I’m not a fan of hers, but I have sympathy for her right now and the last thing she needs are people assuming she was knowingly dating an addict (if he even was an addict).

Edited August 11, 2018 by MrsBestes

[breezy424]

4 hours ago, QuinnM said:

Well it’s NYC so that is the whole spectrum of daywear, black on black with black.

Now on the 72 hour rule the update is that this was a heart attack that he mistook for a OD.  So the slowly all this will take a few days before we have all the bits.

How do you know that this was a heart attack?

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 hours ago, LilaFowler said:

 Tinsley is a NMFE.

Can you translate?

[Persnickety1]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dennis-shields-dead-bethenny-frankel-real-housewives-of-new-york-death-trump-tower-a8487376.html

[b2H]

8 hours ago, ancslove said:

I'm hoping Andy and Bravo edit what they need to of the remaining eps this season.  I can bet that Bethenny's season-ending blurb may need to be reworked.  And I really hope that any mentions of Dennis during the reunion are cut.  

There is only one remaining ep and then the reunion, which has already been shot.

So not much work would remain.

[QuinnM]

8 minutes ago, b2H said:

There is only one remaining ep and then the reunion, which has already been shot.

So not much work would remain.

I wonder if this was mentioned.  Remember the dinner with Luann’s great reaction shot to meeting Dennis?  You know the edit monkeys would want to use that ... until recent events.  They can re-edit.  If there are HWs that say not so nice things about Dennis/Bethenny and they leave that in then they just really don’t like which ever HW made the remark.

I’m looking at you Carole.

5 hours ago, breezy424 said:

How do you know that this was a heart attack?

I don’t.  I also don’t know that it was a opioid overdose.  It’s just the gossip rags.  It’s why people take a 72 hour rule before jumping to conclusions.

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

53 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Same here. I had some leftover meds and one day they disappeared. Then another time I had some pills stolen. The common denominator was that the same person was in my house at the time and was the only person who could have taken them. This person is no longer in my life. 

This is A#1 why I would flip out if my ex was with an opiod addict around our shared child. The stories of theft and doing anything to get the next high and the level of risk taken is what works me up. There are people and (I am NOT saying Dennis was one of them nor that Jason should flip out) that will do desperate things and take advantage of family, friends, and that includes children. They will lie to your face, cheat and steal to conceal their addiction and get the next high and even moreso in desperation to avoid the detox/withdrawal so they can continue to conceal and function. We don't know Dennis had a full fledged addiction of course. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Alonzo Mosely FBI

[Mindthinkr]

3 minutes ago, Alonzo Mosely FBI said:

They will lie to your face, cheat and steal

Absolutely true. So many people have been saying that these kinds of addictions can be hidden easily, so you honestly might not even be aware that someone has a problem. My new defense. A locked box. It is also so that my grandchildren (or their friends) have no access to any medications that I might have (not that I have a supply of the “good stuff”). It’s a shame that we have to be so vigilant and proactive regarding medicine. Better safe than sorry. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Gem 10 said:

Alcohol is a free for all, but needed pain meds are a hazard.  I don’t get it.  My husband goes and buys wine at the liquor store, and I wait in the car.  In a matter of ten minutes, I watch all kinds of people, young and old going in and out like flies buying alcohol.  

This is why:

 Morality legislation is always doomed to fail.

Edited August 11, 2018 by artisto

[Anne Thrax]

This -- from People.com:

JODI GUGLIELMI , August 10, 2018 01:58 PM

Bethenny Frankel‘s on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields has died of a suspected overdose.

“We are all heartbroken. Dennis was, and will always be, the love of my life,” Shields’ wife Jill Shields said in a statement to PEOPLE. “His spirit lives on in our children. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”

Shields was found dead in his Trump Tower apartment on Friday, according to the New York Post and TMZ. He was 51.

A New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that a 51-year-old man was pronounced dead on the scene at Shields’ Trump Tower address. The NYPD could not share the individual’s name yet. “Preliminarily, we are investigating it as a possible overdose,” the spokesperson said.

“The medical examiner’s office is investigating the death of a man believed to be Dennis Shields, found at the Trump Tower. The investigation is ongoing, and we will release cause and manner of death when completed,” the medical examiner’s spokeswoman Aja Worthy-Davis told PEOPLE.

According to the Post, the New York banker asked his assistant to give him Narcan, an emergency medication intended to reverse the effects of a narcotic overdose, but he lost consciousness before the medication could take effect. He was later pronounced dead.

Frankel and Shields began dating in 2016 — three years after the Skinnygirl founder filed for divorce from ex-husband Jason Hoppy, with whom she shares 8-year-old daughter Bryn.

Much of their on-off relationship was documented on The Real Housewives of New York.

But despite multiple breakups, Frankel and Shields remained close.

“Bethenny and her daughter Bryn love Dennis and his family and they have been a support system during her negative divorce and a positive influence in Bryn’s life,” a source previously told PEOPLE.

“They had a 27-year friendship before they dated so they picked that up where they left off once they realized they didn’t work as a couple,” the source said. “Her daughter adores him and his family, and she comes first above all.”

The duo first met about 28 years ago when he dated (and later married) Jill, one of her high school friends. Though she did not stay in touch with her classmate (“We’ve spoken three times in 25 years,” she previously told PEOPLE), Frankel and Shields shared other mutual pals and began dating in 2016, several months after he separated from his wife.

[Juliegirlj]

Didn’t Bethenny admit to a bit of drug and alcohol excess during her younger years? 

I wonder if Bethenny was aware of Dennis’ drug problems and that was the reason they were on a self imposed 90 day break? 

This season had to be difficult for B - all the talk of rehab, possible alcoholism, Dennis, breaking up with Carole, etc.... no wonder she had a meltdown in Cartegena. 

[Mindthinkr]

14 minutes ago, Juliegirlj said:

no wonder she had a meltdown in Cartegena. 

Now multiply that by 10 to imagine what she is going through now.