Bravo star and creator of Skinnygirl margaritas, Bethenny Frankel, announced Sunday that she and her husband of three years, Jason Hoppy, are splitting.
Frankel, 41, originally introduced Hoppy to the world while a cast member on "Real Housewives of New York City" before the couple starred on spin-off shows of their own showcasing their marriage and the birth of their two-year-old daughter, Bryn.
Frankel released a statement the day before Christmas Eve:
"It brings me great sadness to say that Jason and I are separating. This was an extremely difficult decision that as a woman and a mother, I have to accept as the best choice for our family. We have love and respect for one another and will continue to amicably co-parent our daughter who is and will always remain our first priority. This is an immensely painful and heartbreaking time for us."
Frankel also tweeted:
The news is a blow to Bravo fans who have been rooting for the couple as viewers watched their rocky romance unfold throughout three seasons of "Bethenny Getting Married?" "Bethenny Ever After" and "Bethenny."
Frankel's fortune will likely be an issue in the split, as the reality TV star-turned-cocktailpreneur sold her Skinnygirl drink line to Jim Beam in March 2011 for a reported $120 million. Later SEC filings in August of that year proved the acquisition of solely the brand name was $8 million.
So how much was the purchase of the brand?
The company never divulged a clear number on the acquistion, telling Forbes it reported to the SEC what was necessary under accounting rules.
However, scouring through the company's quarterly reports gives an idea the company spent at least $39 million.
Page five of 2011 first quarter reports show the company spent $39 million on acquisitions in the first three months of the year when Beam's only acquisition was Skinnygirl.
Further in the same 10K, the company reports a clear increase of nearly $50 million in investments that's attributed mostly to the Skinnygirl acquisition.
"Net cash used in investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2011 increased by $48.9 million to $72.7 million, compared with $23.8 million used in the same three-month period last year, primarily due [to] the acquisition of the Skinnygirl cocktail business and the absence of the 2010 repayments of loans to affiliates of $7.6 million."
In April, Frankel took home a $25 million bonus as sales of her cocktails soared 400 percent in a year and it was reported she took home $12 million in 2012 alone.
But the couple did sign a prenup that will waive Hoppy's rights to Frankel's Skinnygirl fortune.
“The prenup clearly outlines that all of Bethenny's business deals, endorsements, Skinnygirl, are hers,” an insider tells RadarOnline. “The prenup was modified after the couple got married, but Skinnygirl is and always will be Bethenny's, and Jason waived any rights to it.”
But in addition to profits from Skinnygirl margarita, Frankel is also raking it in from her reported $40,000 per episode reality TV paycheck, daytime talk show, and four best-selling books.
It is still unclear what exactly Hoppy will receive in the split.
Soon after the couple got engaged in 2008, Frankel told People magazine of Hoppy: "He's my anchor. I fell in love with a regular guy with a regular salary. He taught me that being taken care of was emotional and not financial."
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