Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970) is an American TV personality, author, entrepreneur and natural foods cook. She has appeared on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, The Real Housewives of New York City and was the subject of the TV shows Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After. She is the founder of Skinnygirl Cocktails, the author of four self-help books and the host of the TV series, Bethenny.

Early life and education

Frankel is the only child of horse trainer Robert J. Frankel. Her father was from a Jewish family, while her mother converted to Judaism when she married her father. Frankel's parents split up when she was four years old and a year later her mother remarried. Frankel describes her childhood as difficult and says her mother "was always drinking" and arguing violently with her stepfather.

Frankel graduated in 1988 from the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she lived on campus. She attended the National Gourmet Institute for Healthy and Culinary Arts in New York City, New York University and Boston University.

Career

Bethenny was on Saved by the Bell Frankel began her TV and film career when she appeared in the 1993 short film Soiree Sans Hors D'oeuvres, the 1994 movie Hollywood Hills 90028, and the 1995 movie Wish Me Luck.

In 2005, Frankel appeared on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart TV show and was one of two finalists. In 2008, Frankel was selected for the reality TV series The Real Housewives of New York City In March, Frankel's first book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, was published. In December 2009, her second book, The SkinnyGirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, was released.

She also created an exercise DVD, Body by Bethenny, in spring 2010 and an audio book, The Skinnygirl Rules, which summarized her two SkinnyGirl books. In June, Frankel starred in the Bravo reality TV show Bethenny Getting Married?, which documented her engagement, marriage and the birth of her daughter. The show's premiere was the highest rated of any series in Bravo's history. In September, Frankel announced, that for personal reasons, she would not be returning to the The Real Housewives of New York City show. In February 2011, Frankel starred in a follow up series, Bethenny Ever After which documented her first year of marriage and motherhood. In November, Frankel appeared on the ABC reality series Skating with the Stars, and was runner-up to the champion.

In March 2011, Frankel released A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life which spent several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. In April 2011, Frankel sold her Skinnygirl cocktail brand to Fortune Brands' Beam Global for an estimated $100 million dollars. In September 2011, Whole Foods Market stopped selling Skinnygirl products because they contained a preservative that did not meet their quality standards.

Frankel created a TV talk show pilot and after a successful test run in 2012 the show is scheduled for Warner Bros. syndication sometime in 2013. In December 2012, Frankel published a novel called "Skinnydipping".

Personal life

In 1994, Frankel married entertainment industry executive Peter Sussman. They divorced in 1997.

Frankel met Jason Hoppy, a Roman Catholic, in late 2008. They became engaged 11 months later, and married on March 28, 2010 at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City. Their daughter, Bryn Casey Hoppy, was born on May 8, 2010. Bryn was later baptized. According to Frankel, "I'm not particularly religious. I am spiritual; I do believe in what is right and wrong, in energy, in karma, and that what you put out there you get back." In December 2012, Frankel separated from Hoppy and filed for divorce in January 2013.

Frankel posed nude for a PETA billboard in September 2009.

Bibliography

• Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (ISBN 1-41659-798-0, 2009)
• The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life (ISBN 1-41659-799-9, 2009)
• Body by Bethenny: Body-sculpting Workouts to Unleash Your SkinnyGirl (ISBN 978-1-59828-440-9, 2010)
• A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life (ISBN 1439186901, 2011)

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