Kelly Bensimon claims she was talking to a man on the dating app Raya before realizing he was Bethenny Frankel’s boyfriend.
“I see this one guy, and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s kinda cute!’” Bensimon, 56, told Page Six on Monday, December 2. “He lives in California, and I was like, ‘Wow, what is he doing here?’ … He’s like, ‘Let’s talk. … Let’s meet.’”
The former Real Housewives of New York City star alleged that she was texting with the man who she referred to only as “Tom.” They did not, however, meet up in person for any sort of date.
After spending Labor Day weekend in the Hamptons, Bensimon said her friend sent her an article. “It says Bethenny Frankel is dating this guy,” she revealed.
The article in question featured Frankel, 54, and a man named Tom Villante holding hands after enjoying a dinner at Giorgio Baldi, an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, California.
One month later, the pair continued to fuel romance rumors when they were photographed with Jay Cutler and Samantha Robertson at the New York City premiere of Yellowstone season 5B.
The pair ultimately went Instagram official just days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
“POV: he buys you a luxury heated throw & builds you a fire while you sip an overpriced latte,” Frankel wrote via her Instagram Story on November 23 after filming Villante as he tended to her home’s fireplace.
Both Frankel and Bensimon appeared on seasons 2 and 3 of The Real Housewives of New York City. They struggled to form a strong friendship and butted heads during the infamous cast trip to Scary Island.
In another fun twist, Dean McDermott’s ex-wife, Mary Jo Eustace, whom he was married to when he had an affair with Tori Spelling, commented on Page Six’s video of Bensimon telling the story, writing, “He talks to everybody!”
Bensimon’s latest tale as a single woman comes months after she called off her wedding to Scott Litner.
Just four days before her June nuptials, Bensimon decided to end the engagement partly because her partner refused to sign a prenup.
“I haven’t come this far in business and life to start making poor decisions because of a man,” she exclusively told Us. “He of all people should have understood the need to protect each other before we tied the knot. I’m truly shocked he refused a prenup.”
According to Bensimon, Litner “thought that I would enter this union without legal protections in place, that I would leave everything to faith.”
After the split, Bensimon said she was turning her focus to family, which includes daughters Sea, 26, and Teddy, 24, with her ex-husband, Gilles Bensimon.
Us Weekly has reached out to Frankel’s rep for comment.
