Getting real. Bethenny Frankel was honest with a fan who inquired about her slimmed-down figure, attributing her weight loss to grief over her on-again, off-again boyfriend Dennis Shields’ death.
The Real Housewives of New York City star, 47, shared a photo of herself holding up a “love” sign on Instagram Friday, September 21. “All you need is,” she captioned the pic, adding three heart emojis.
One fan commented on Frankel’s apparent weight loss: “Love the dress. I would look heavier if I wore that. You’re looking extra thin in these photos. How/are you losing weight?”
The reality star was transparent in her response. “Death will do that to a person #griefdiet,” she wrote. “I don’t recommend it.”
Frankel also showed her gratitude to her fans with a video on her Instagram Story Friday. “It’s been a minute since I connected with you,” she noted. “Like, actually really just said, ‘Thank you so much,’ because your thoughts, your prayers, your wisdom, your advice has been so incredibly helpful.”
The Skinnygirl founder added: “And for those of you who really know me, I throw myself into something else to solve it, take care of it, deal with it, and I’m definitely taking time to reflect, and I love you all so much. Thank you.”
Shields was found dead at age 51 in his Trump Tower room in New York City on August 10. The businessman was Frankel’s friend of more than 20 years, and the pair dated on and off for two years before his death.
The New York Post reported at the time that Shields allegedly overdosed on prescription pills. However, his cause of death is unknown as an autopsy was not done for religious reasons.
Frankel has been open about her grief following Shields’ sudden death, tweeting about crying and having trouble breathing, and paying tribute to her late love on Instagram.
“Bethenny is absolutely devastated. She lost her best friend, her partner, her business partner. He’s family. His family is her family,” a source told Us Weekly in August. “They’ve known each other over 30 years.”
The insider continued: “She is living her life because there is nothing else to do. You have to go on. Everyone experiences loss and the only thing you can do is pick yourself up and go on.”
Us confirmed in August that Shields popped the question to Frankel four months before his death. Though the couple’s relationship was not perfect, a source told Us that same month, “Bethenny was hopeful. She was so in love with Dennis and wanted to be with him.”
