Bethenny Frankel shared a sweet Father’s Day post on Sunday.
Nearly one year after losing her late boyfriend, Dennis Shields, to an alleged drug overdose, the Real Housewives of New York City star honored him on her Instagram page and praised him for being a “beautiful influence” on her daughter, nine-year-old Bryn.
“Happy Father’s Day. In memory of Dennis, a man who was a father of five beautiful children and a beautiful influence in my daughter’s life,” Bethenny Frankel wrote in the caption of a photo of Shields and Bryn in water.
Bethenny and Dennis were involved in an on-and-off romance for two years prior to his August 2018 passing, and last April, Dennis presented Bethenny with a ring. However, because of the up and down nature of their romance, it is unclear if Bethenny actually intended to marry him.
Earlier this year, Bethenny opened up about her relationship with Dennis on The Real Housewives of New York City. She admitted that while she intended to break up with him just before his death, she attempted to make their relationship work for the sake of her daughter.
“He had such a powerful force in my life and [was] such a loving person and my daughter loved him that it was this whole thing that was hard to extricate myself from,” she told her therapist. “But I had just said though that week, I haven’t told anybody this, I had just said the Saturday before [he died], ‘I have to exit this dynamic.’ So then it was a lot on my mind about him dying right after that. I could not get off the ride and I feel guilty that the only way I got off the ride is that he’s dead.”
Since Dennis’ passing, Bethenny has been dating film producer Paul Bernon.
The Real Housewives of New York City season 11 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
Photos Credit: Patricia Schlein/WENN.com, Bravo