Bethenny Frankel finally detailed how fiancé Paul Bernon proposed more than two years ago — after facing backlash for flaunting her massive engagement ring.
“I never told you my engagement story … on February 12, 2021, during the pandemic, Paul and I went to Little Palm Island, a small private hotel on a Florida island in the Florida keys,” Frankel wrote on Instagram on Sunday along with several photos from the couple’s trip.
“We are homebodies and rarely book a reservation … we like to be free and nimble and not held down to a time or plan.”
Frankel, 52, said Bernon, 41, brought her to a beautiful private table on the beach at sunset, which she described as “as private and romantic as a fantasy date on ‘the bachelor.’”
“The intimate details of the story are private but it was a beautiful proposal, in a beautiful setting, with a beautiful ring, to a beautiful man….,” she continued.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum explained that they kept their engagement story a secret. She said they were only exposed when a paparazzi photographed her in the ocean in Boca Raton, Fla., wearing her massive sparkler and “the story was leaked.”
“It was nice to have our secret be our own for months. It just didn’t feel appropriate to us to make an announcement,” she said.
News first surfaced that the pair got engaged in March 2021, shortly after she finalized her divorce from Bryan Hoppy, with whom she shares 13-year-old daughter Bryn.
“Bryn and I and Biggy Smallz are so lucky to have Paul in our lives,” she said of her daughter and her dog. “He is a loving, beautiful, generous, kind, funny and smart good man who we love with all of our hearts.”
The “Just B with Bethenny Frankel” podcast host shared several photos from their romantic getaway, as well as a few more closeups of the flashy diamond ring.
Frankel divulged the details of her and Bernon’s private engagement story just days after she was deemed “braggy and “out of touch” for showing off her 10-carat emerald-cut engagement ring, which is estimated to be worth seven figures, on Instagram.
“I know your rich as s–t…but why flaunt in front of the world your s–t!” one person commented on her post at the time.
“Money Talks……Wealth Whispers. Eeek,” another agreed.
Frankel defended herself in the comments section of the controversial video post, clapping back at one troll, “Seems like it makes you feel jealous. Talk to a professional.”
And when another hater said Frankel’s post made her feel “sick,” the Skinny Girl CEO replied, “Then you should maybe do something and help some people. Go to a shelter.”
To another nasty commenter, the reality star snipped, “It’s called humor. Get a sense of it.”
As for those who expressed that she was putting herself in danger by publicizing her expensive jewelry, Frankel assured her fans that the ring is kept safely in a vault.
She also cheekily thanked those ripping her to shreds over her ostentatious post.
“Lol maybe you should do some charity work…..❤️❤️❤️Thanks for engaging as it is an ENGAGEMENT post!” she wrote, adding that she “love[s] the trolls bc it’s about ENGAGEMENT.”
Frankel and the film producer started dating in 2018 after meeting on a dating app.
