Bethenny Frankel has introduced her new boyfriend to her followers. On Saturday, Nov. 23, the 54-year-old former star of The Real Housewives of New York made her relationship with Tom Villante official on Instagram by sharing a video of him.
In her caption, Frankel wrote, “Because #imworthit #andmyman #thankyoutomyman #weekend.” The video shows Villante tending to a fire in a fireplace while Frankel, wrapped in a fluffy white throw, smiles at the camera. A popular TikTok sound clip by rapper Latto, “Thank you to my man,” plays over the footage.
Bethenny Frankel goes Instagram official with her new boyfriend, Tom Villante
“POV: He buys you a luxury heated throw & builds a fire while you sip an overpriced latte…” Frankel added to the video, referring to her boyfriend. This post follows their appearance at the season 5B premiere of Yellowstone in New York City on Nov. 7. Although they were seen together, they didn’t walk the red carpet as a couple.
Frankel’s new relationship comes after her breakup with her former fiancé Paul Bernon, which was confirmed by PEOPLE in May after six years together.
Villante is the chairman and co-founder of Yapstone, a payment processing company that has raised more than $110 million since its inception in 1999, according to the company’s website. A Princeton graduate, he was previously married to Caitlin Anastasia Meeha in 1996, as reported by the New York Times.
In a July episode of her Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast, she reflected on her split from Bernon, confirming that she initiated the breakup following the “really traumatic loss” of her mother, Bernadette Birk, in late April. Frankel explained, “It was something that I kept to myself. It was something that I mourned on my own, and I did therapy, and I did the work… I just didn’t feel like it needed to be shared.”
She added, “The break-up was something I initiated. I wasn’t happy. Something needed to change. It was certainly mutual. The relationship had its challenges, and nobody dumped anybody.” She concluded, “It wasn’t a relationship I wanted to be in, and it wasn’t a person that I wanted to be with anymore, to be honest, for many reasons that I really had to come to terms with.”
