Bethenny Frankel took to Instagram and TikTok on Thursday to update her fans on why her face has been ‘looking different’ in recent videos.
The Real Housewives of New York City alum, 52, shared that her battle with POTS – a blood circulation disorder – has worsened since COVID, creating a multitude of symptoms, including weight gain, bloating, dehydration and aches.
‘Many of you are asking why my face looks different in my makeup videos and it’s because I am messed up. I am not doing that great,’ she shared in an Instagram video.
She later took to TikTok with more clips, and at one point her voice cracked as she broke down in tears while talking about staying healthy for her daughter Bryn Hoppy, 12.
‘My real thing is the terror of just not being healthy for my daughter. That’s the biggest thing. Who cares about the rest of it, I just want to be healthy for her.’
Health issues: Bethenny Frankel took to Instagram and TikTok on Thursday and shared that her battle with POTS – a blood circulation disorder – has worsened since COVID, creating a multitude of symptoms, including weight gain, bloating, dehydration and aches
Emotional: At one point her voice cracked as she got emotional while talking about staying healthy for her daughter Bryn Hoppy, 12
Her girl: ‘My real thing is the terror of just not being healthy for my daughter. That’s the biggest thing. Who cares about the rest of it, I just want to be healthy for her,’ she said while breaking down in tears; Pictured with Bryn in 2022
POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is a blood circulation disorder that causes your heart to beat faster than normal after transitioning from sitting down to standing up.
Patients diagnosed with POTS can experience rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, fainting and lightheadedness.
The reality TV star first took to Instagram, writing: ‘There were some comments about my face looking different in recent videos, so here is why.’
‘I’m bloated, swollen and I’ve gained 4 lbs in 3 days because my body is desperately hanging on to any water it can,’ the star explained.
She went on: ‘A while back I shared what has been a serious battle with POTS. This is an auto-immune disorder that seems to have been drastically exacerbated since COVID. I know there are many of you out there, so thanks for all of the information. It’s certainly a condition to manage.’
‘I suffer from chronic severe dehydration. I have always experienced extremely low blood pressure and dehydration, but it’s gotten exponentially worse.’
‘I make a tremendous effort to stay hydrated, get IV’s, and I haven’t had liquor for 6 months. I’m basically on the case,’ Frankel added.
‘Altitude and a dry climate (in my favorite place in the world to do my favorite sport) present additional challenges.’
At the end of her statement she reminded her followers to think twice before commenting on someone’s appearance: ‘PS. When you comment on someone’s physical appearance, you may not know exactly what they’re enduring personally, physically and emotionally.’
‘Not doing that great’: ‘Many of you are asking why my face looks different in my makeup videos and it’s because I am messed up. I am not doing that great,’ she shared earlier
Symptoms: ‘I’m bloated, swollen and I’ve gained 4 lbs in 3 days because my body is desperately hanging on to any water it can,’ the star explained about her condition
Scared: She also described being ‘riddled with aches and pains’ and added, ‘I’m absolutely scared because I don’t like that I do everything to be completely healthy, and still sometimes this thing is winning and it’s upsetting’
In her Instagram video she also described being ‘riddled with aches and pains.’
‘This is like very intense and it’s gotten really bad in the last few years since this autoimmune thing I’m dealing with,’ she said.
The former Bravo star added: ‘So that’s why I look f****d up.’
‘I wake up like every two hours in such pain and dying of thirst,’ she further added.
She later took to her TikTok with a bare-faced video as she explained she wasn’t going to filter her face because ‘This is me today.’
She captioned the clip: ‘POTS is real & COVID effects are also.’
In a follow-up video she became emotional while discussing her only daughter, who she shares with with ex-husband Jason Hoppy.
‘I want to go on Aspen vacations and take her snowboarding. Want to live a long life cause I had a child later in life.’
‘I’m absolutely scared because I don’t like that I do everything to be completely healthy, and still sometimes this thing is winning and it’s upsetting,’ she added.
‘I never do this but I don’t want to seem like I always have it under control. I definitely don’t,’ Bethenny wrote in the caption.
Mommy’s girl: Bethenny shares Bryn with ex-husband Jason Hoppy, whom she divorced in 2021; Pictured with Bryn in 2022
