Not all breakups are messy. Bethenny Frankel doesn’t have any hard feelings toward ex Paul Bernon after calling off their two-year relationship.
The Real Housewives of New York City alum, 49, opened up about her recent split during a virtual interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, October 23. Earlier this month, Us Weekly exclusively confirmed that Frankel and the movie producer, 42, had pulled the plug on their romance “a couple of weeks” prior.
“You know, not everything works out. So many people have tried to define my life — our lives — with, ‘When are you getting engaged?’ ‘When are you having a baby?’ ‘When are you getting married?’” the Skinnygirl founder told host Ellen DeGeneres, adding that she was feeling “good” after her split. “I’ve just realized more in life, with people being more open and honest about their lives and what they want, that everything doesn’t have to sort of end in a blue box and a bow.”
The “Just B With Bethenny Frankel” podcast host began dating Bernon in October 2018, two months after her on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields died. Though they didn’t last, Frankel is grateful for the time she spent with the Peabody Award winner.
“We had a great, great relationship and I’m really happy,” she said on Friday. “Not everything has to end badly, some things just don’t continue and it’s not negative, it’s just life.”
Frankel was previously married to Peter Sussman from 1996 to 1997. In 2010, she exchanged vows with Jason Hoppy, with whom she shares 10-year-old daughter Bryn. The former pair announced their split in 2012. During a June 2019 appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, the philanthropist noted that her romance with Bernon was “different” from any of her previous relationships.
“I’m happy,” she said at the time. “Not a high or a low, just a balance — which, if you know my personality at all, it’s not often that balanced. But I just feel balanced and healthy.”
The Skinnydipping author hasn’t had it easy when it comes to her love life — and revealed in September that she was technically “still married” to Hoppy. The exes faced off in a lengthy custody battle, and in the summer of 2019, their contentious divorce continued to make headlines. Despite her ups and downs, Frankel is allowing herself to feel “empowered” by her single status and trying to enjoy as much time as possible with her daughter.
“My daughter and I do a date night once a week,” she told Us exclusively earlier this month. “We’ll go out on date night and then another night we do cooking nights. We made stuffed shells last week. … We have never had more amazing time together and that’s what’s really the most important thing.”
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