‘Southern Charm’ Star Kathryn Dennis Unsure How to Tell Children About Thomas Ravenel’s Arrest

With Thomas Ravenel facing charges of sexual assault, it was Kathryn Dennis left to explain the situation to their children.

In Wednesday’s episode of Southern Charm, Dennis broke down discussing her ex’s pending charges with Craig Conover, revealing she still hadn’t figured out how to break the news to their children, 5-year-old Kensie, and 3-year-old Saint.

“All this s— with Thomas, it’s just overwhelming,” Dennis told Conover. “The court date is getting sooner and it’s just hitting me.”

With the two sharing 50/50 custody of their two children, Dennis was dreading what would happen if Ravenel was convicted, worrying, “If he goes to jail, I’ll be a single mom.”

Breaking the news to her young kids was also a major concern.

“How am I going to explain to them that their dad is being charged with sexual assault?” she asked. “It’s f—ing hard.”

And while Kensie and Saint were definitely too young to understand quite what was going on with their father, Dennis knew she wouldn’t be able to keep them totally in the dark for long.

“Typically you come up with these creative responses for kids when asked hard questions,” she explained. “But that — don’t even know.”

Ravenel was arrested in September 2018 on charges of sexual assault and battery after two women came forward to accuse him of rape and sexual assault, one of whom appeared on Southern Charm as a nanny to Ravenel and Dennis’ children.

Soon after the allegations surfaced, the Bravo personality confirmed he would no longer be appearing on the series.

“I’m not doing the show anymore,” he wrote on Twitter in a since-deleted tweet. “In the contract they have the right to fictionalize your story. They took advantage of me. I decided I’ve got too much to lose and informed them I’m not coming back.”

Ravenel’s lawyer Richard P. Terbrusch also denied to PEOPLE in a statement his client had done anything wrong.

“My client enjoys a certain degree of fame, which has unfortunately made him a vulnerable target for such claims,” the statement read . “The person this woman describes is simply not the man that I know. My client is a loving father, successful businessman, and upright member of the community. He is appalled and hurt by these allegations — and is committed to defending his reputation in the appropriate legal forum.”

Southern Charm airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Photo credit: Instagram/Kathryn Dennis