When Bethenny Frankel first started dating her on-and-off boyfriend Dennis Shields, fellow Real Housewives star Luann De Lesseps accused Shields of still being with his ex-wife when they started carrying on an affair. To prove De Lesseps wrong, Frankel actually called up Shields’ daughter, who refuted the claims. On season 9 of RHONY, De Lesseps comes face to face with Shields and is confronted by Frankel, who tells her she should apologize, in a cringe-worthy scene.
Though Shields was still legally married when he and Frankel started dating, Frankel has maintained that Shields and his wife were no longer together. In several Twitter posts, Frankel defended her relationship with Shields and she told People, “We’ve both been married and separated. So we’re a perfect match. Like everything else in my life, I’m owning it.” On Twitter, Frankel tweeted to de Lesseps that, “She’s correct.I’m dating a legally married separated man-so perfect bc i’m legally married too!” Frankel was still legally married to ex-husband Jason Hoppy when she began dating Shields.
Bethenny Frankel’s boyfriend Dennise Shields pictures t.co/q8hfMkIv9x
Shields and Frankel have actually known each other for about 25 years and Frankel knew his wife Jill Barrie Schwartzberg from high school. Shields and Schwartzberg married in 1990 and they were both in their early twenties at the time. According to the New York Times, the couple’s wedding took place at the New York City Plaza, with Rabbi Charles D. Lippman as the officiant. Schwartzberg’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Jack Schwartzberg of Old Westbury, Long Island. See a throwback photo of Schwartzberg on her wedding day in the below Instagram photo.
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Schwartzberg is a NYU alum and was studying for her master’s degree at Teachers College at Columbia University when she tied the knot with Shields. Her father was quite a success, as the president of the Runway Publishing Company in New York, while her mother had career success as well. Her mom, Joyce, was a principal in the New York design firm of Introspect Interiors. Shields, like Schwartzberg, also went to NYU.
When it comes to Schwartzberg’s career, her professional design bio reads, “Jill Shields is a New York-based interior designer and has been decorating interiors for over 16 years. Her design philosophy is that each interior is a blank canvas that tells a story; these are stories that project warmth & security, showcase special objects acquired, and reflects an atmosphere fitting one’s personality, lifestyle and personal taste.”
As for how Frankel knows Schwartzberg, she said that she and Schwartzberg went to high school together, as reported by E! News. For a few months over the past year, Bethenny Frankel said that she was single, but Page Six reported in February 2018 that it appeared she was back together with Shields. The two definitely have been in touch with each other, whether in a romantic way or not.
Shields makes a very good living for himself as the CEO of LawCash. He also comes from a mother who was a lawyer and his father, a neurologist, according to E! News. He is also the Founder of Esquire Bank and Yield Street. In early April 2018, Shields was in Trump Tower when the building caught fire and he had to evacuate. It was actually President Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen who gave Shields the heads up to leave, according to Radar Online, who also reported that Shields lives on the 42nd floor of the building. Shields reportedly grew up with Cohen.
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As for the most recent news on Shields’ ex-wife, like Shields, Schwartzberg appears to have moved on as well and seems to be dating a man named Howard, who is pictured above. Schwartzberg also enjoys spending time with her parents and hitting up the Hamptons for down time. She is also very fit and enjoys the outdoors. With her beau, Schwartzberg goes deep sea fishing, skiing and traveling.