‘Real Housewives of NYC’ Star Bethenny Frankel Praises Dennis Shields Amid Hurricane Efforts

“Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel is putting her reality TV drama aside for a moment in order to help the people impacted by Hurricane Florence. As the 47-year-old gears up to make a difference in the wake of a natural disaster, she paid a special nod to her late boyfriend Dennis Shields.

On Friday, a fan praised Bethenny for her efforts to provide relief for those in need while she is still grieving the loss of Shields, who was found dead in his apartment last month.

“Great job holding it together when they brought up Dennis. You can see the pain in your eyes...I’m so sorry for your loss,” the fan wrote.

“He would want me to #bstrong,” she replied, referencing her charity.

This isn’t the first time Frankel has praised Shields for helping her through a tough situation. During the launch of her Skinnygirl jeans line, she acknowledged her late boyfriend for the contributions he made to her charity prior to his death.

“Dennis was very, very instrumental in donating [to #BStrong] and I think that he would love that I was focusing my energy on helping other people,” she told People.

“It’s okay that I’ve been mourning, but there are going to be some other people that are going to be in some really bad situations and we are already on the ground there assessing as the days and the hours go by.”

Frankel’s kind words about Shields comes after her appearance on Fox Business, where she shared the ease of volunteering in times of a disaster. “We’ve seen a lot of craziness with all of these disasters, and people want to find meaning in their lives and just help other people. And that makes it contagious. It really is contagious,” Frankel explained.

Over on Twitter, the “RHONY” star assured fans their donations to her charity will go straight to the victims of Hurricane Florence. “If you donate to BStrong I guarantee that the relief goes directly to those in need. I pay mine and my staff’s own way & costs & zero bureaucracy. Just getting sorted now. We need to assess needs,” she tweeted.

Frankel left her followers with a few words of encouragement as the Category 1 storm continues on its destructive path. “For those who have anxiety & are scared, I’ve met thousands of affected by disasters & when you stick together, have faith, appreciate family & get involved in the rebuild, you survive & prevail. Sometimes we have to go straight through a storm & come out the other side. #bstrong,” she wrote.

Frankel and her bStrong team could head to the areas affected by Florence and begin their relief efforts as early as this weekend.