Bethenny Frankel Got Very Real About Her Torturous Divorce During Part 2 of the Real Housewives of New York City Reunion

Everything the Bravolebrity had to say about her painful split from Jason Hoppy during the second hour of the RHONY season nine reunion.

By Billy Nilles Aug 24, 2017 1:00 AMTags
Bethenny Frankel, RHONY ReunionBravo

Part one of The Real Housewives of New York City's season nine reunion special may have been all about Luann de Lesseps' doomed marriage to Tom D'Agostino, but it was a different failed romance that got put under the microscope when the special returned for part two.

After talk about Tinsley Mortimer's possible drinking problem and Sonja Morgan's bizarre love triangle with Rocco and (possible actor?) Frenchy, as well as a valiant attempt to get each woman to reveal who they voted for in the 2016 election, host Andy Cohen turned to Bethenny Frankel for an update on her love life and her ugly divorce from ex-husband Jason Hoppy. And while B may have remained tight-lipped about her suffering all season long with the other women, she did not hold back as she sat on that sofa.

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After revealing that she was back together with Dennis Shields, as E! News had previously exclusively reported, Bethenny admitted to the world that she'd been doing a lot of work on herself in order to combat the damage the divorce and its ensuing drama had done. "I have my moments where I don't trust and I'm afraid. I've learned a lot about myself in the last year, year and a half. I've been working on myself more. I've been in therapy," she said, choking back tears. "I have a difficult time getting close to people, especially since my situation, I will not allow people in. Dennis has said, 'You will not allow me to love you.' Because it's very, very hard."

When Andy asked if she was worried about what Jason might say to their seven-year-old daughter Bryn when she's in his custody, Bethenny admitted that she'd chosen not to focus on that. "I can only worry about my side of the street," she said. "My message to my daughter is everybody loves you."

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As talk turned to the suffering she'd endured as Jason was hit not once, but twice, with with charges of aggravated harassment and stalking, Andy asked if her decision to keep her cast mates in the dark had any influence on the way she interacted with them this season. "I'm sure it does because it is indescribable and inexplicable," she said. "And if someone wants to talk about a war zone in Israel, how are you going to explain that to someone? It's like, I'm not comparing this to actual war, but in my personal life, you can't even imagine the torment this has been. You can't even describe it. I just stifled it in because if I let any of it out, I'm just going to totally break down."

When Andy asked what might have happened in their marriage to warrant Jason's behavior, Bethenny remained silent, while her BFF Carole Radziwill offered an explanation. "He's obsessed with her. It's like an obsession," she shared. "And I guess when someone walks away and you no longer have control..."

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While Bethenny said that no resolution would come to this before it was legally mandated, she admitted that she had hope it was on its way. "Any resolution is legally mandated and I'm fine with that. I don't care what happens. I don't care if a Sasquatch comes out of the woods and lives in my apartment. It doesn't matter to me how it happens," she said, before adding, "I have faith that somehow I will be able to live a normal, free life. But it has to be with zero contact. Because with any contact, this will not end."

The Real Housewives of New York City reunion concludes on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)