Bethenny Frankel says there’s one boundary every divorcing parent needs to keep

• Bethenny Frankel says her chaotic childhood couldn't compare to the trauma of her nearly decadelong divorce.
• "I lost hair. I thought I would never survive it," the "Real Housewives of New York City" alum said.
• Despite that, she said she "never" badmouthed her ex to their daughter.

Bethenny Frankel says she shielded her daughter from nearly a decade of divorce drama.

During an appearance on Wednesday's episode of "Call Her Daddy," Frankel said her almost 10-year-long divorce from her second husband, Jason Hoppy, was messier than her chaotic childhood.

"I have seen my mother slit her wrists. I have lived a life, my whole life of chasing her into bathrooms, trying to catch her throwing up. I've been around guns, the mafia, the racetrack. I've been through everything. I've seen her beaten with an inch of her life with a phone," Frankel told host Alex Cooper. "Nothing compares to what my divorce was for 10 years."

The "Real Housewives of New York City" alum married Hoppy, a businessman, in 2010, and they welcomed their daughter, Bryn, shortly after. The former couple announced their separation in 2012, and their divorce was finalized in 2021.

"It was 10 years of my life. I lost hair. I thought I would never survive it. I didn't want to. I had to because of my daughter. I literally thought I'll never be happy again," Frankel said.

Despite everything she was going through, Frankel said she "never" badmouthed her ex to their daughter.

"I never talked bad in front of her. I mean, she energetically, I believe, felt it because it cracked open during the pandemic when she was 11," Frankel said.

She added that it was a "lesson" every divorcing parent with young kids should keep in mind.

"It's a long road. Your kids will become cognizant, and they will understand. You don't have to say it to them. You don't have to prove it to them," Frankel said. "You should never ever say a bad thing about the other parent ever, because it is the worst thing you could do to a child."

Instead, Frankel said she makes sure her daughter knows she's loved and has even shared pieces of her own childhood with her.

"You know, therapy is a big thing in my house, and I've been on it, and she's a beautiful, happy human being. She really is," Frankel said.

Frankel isn't the only one who's spoken about keeping things positive for the kids after a split.

Speaking to Stellar Magazine in April 2023, Jennifer Garner said she avoids reading any press coverage of her and her ex-husband, Ben Affleck.

"I really work hard not to see either of us in the press," Garner told the outlet. "It doesn't make me feel good, even if it's something nice about one of us."

In October 2023, Gwyneth Paltrow told Bustle that she and her ex-husband Chris Martin didn't want their kids to "experience the divorce as a trauma."

"We knew that it would be hard, of course, but we didn't want them to ever feel in the middle, or that one of us was slagging off the other one," Paltrow said.