Bethenny Frankel Says ‘Mommy Time’ Heals All Wounds After Death of Dennis Shields

Bethenny Frankel is spending time with her daughter while mourning the loss of on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields, who was found dead following a suspected prescription drug overdose nearly three weeks ago.

Focusing on the positive, Frankel shared a few sweet videos with her 8-year-old daughter, Bryn Hoppy, whom she shares with ex-husband Jason Hoppy.

“Mommy time heals all wounds,” she wrote on her Instagram Story on Tuesday while sharing a video of a temporary gold “love” tattoo Bryn placed on their dog’s belly.

“Look what I did! I’m Bethenny Frankel‘s daughter,” Bryn could be heard saying in the background.

The Real Housewives of New York star also shared an uplifting sunset photo to Instagram on Monday, captioning the shot, “the sun also rises.” On her Instagram Story, the 47-year-old business mogul shared video of the sunset while aboard a boat.

“The sun will rise & set every day,” she wrote on top of the video.

Frankel has slowly returned to social media following Shields’ death. “It’s hard to breathe & I appreciate you giving me the space & support to try to do so,” she tweeted on Sunday. “It’s excruciating-sudden death is no closure & constant ?s & memories. Our relationship is current so it’s painfully raw. Trying to stay healthy & move through it w tears & close friends. Xo.”

On Aug. 13, she broke her silence on Twitter about his death, sharing a photo of Shields and her late dog cuddling in bed.

“Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love,” she wrote. “[now and forever].”

Meanwhile, Frankel and Hoppy are in the midst of a renewed custody battle after a judge granted Frankel’s request for another trial to gain primary custody of Bryn on Aug. 16. Hoppy questioned Frankel’s “parental judgment” in court following Shields’ Aug. 10 overdose.

“It was reported that he died of an Oxycontin overdose,” Hoppy’s lawyer Robert Wallace said to Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz in court earlier this month. “Our concern is while his death is very sad, this raises serious concerns about Ms. Frankel’s parental judgment.”

“Dennis Shields spent a great deal of time with Bryn and even cared for Bryn at times when Ms. Frankel wasn’t around,” he continued. “Considering Mr. Shields’ addiction, what does that say about Ms. Frankel’s parenting that she would allow this person to care for her daughter? This doesn’t just constitute a lapse in judgment, this was just downright dangerous parenting.”

Hoppy and Frankel have been embroiled in conflict since their 2012 split, only finalizing their divorce in 2016 following custody and financial disagreements. Hoppy was arrested in 2017 for allegedly stalking and harassing Frankel, who was granted a 6-month protection order against her ex.

“Bethenny, in Bryn’s best interest, asked for a new trial,” a source told Us Weekly this week. “The minute the judge agreed to that today, Jason’s side brought up the Dennis stuff. The judge said now you’re throwing ‘grenades.’ Jason and his team were OK with Bethenny as a mom when they walked into the courtroom, but then once Bethenny got what she wanted, they didn’t think she was a good mom.”