Kathryn Dennis has love in her eyes — but all her friends can see are red flags.
On this week’s episode of Southern Charm, Dennis opens up about a new man her life.
“I’m actually dating someone,” she tells Naomi Olindo while out at lunch together. “Apparently I have a type — he’s a senator.”
Dennis, 26, reveals that she started dating 38-year-old Florida politician Joseph Abruzzo after meeting him at a football game.
“I really like him a lot,” she says. “He’s kind, he’s got a 3-year-old son and he wears sunless tanner like me.”
But her friends aren’t as impressed. Craig Conover expresses his concern over Abruzzo’s reputation after reading about him online.
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“He’s a disgraced politician,” he says. “He’s not running for re-election because of his divorce. His wife is accusing him of being physically abusive.”
In 2017, Abruzzo’s estranged wife, Brandy Abruzzo, accused the politician of abuse and claimed the local police covered it up, calling him a “scam artist and narcissist” in since-deleted tweets. According to the Tampa Bay Times, she also shared, and later deleted, recordings of contentious phone calls between the two.
A spokesman for Abruzzo denied the allegation to the Times in 2017, saying, “It’s all being used for public intimidation, if you will. It’s baseless and it’s not based on fact.” And Abruzzo said he did not seek re-election in the Florida House in 2018 to spend time with his son, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
While Dennis is aware of the tension between Abruzzo and his ex, she doesn’t seem phased by it. “She has a mugshot, just like Thomas [Ravenel].”
(In 2011, authorities arrested Brandy Abruzzo on a domestic battery charge, according to police records obtained by WRAL. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charge.)
“I want to be happy for Kathryn, but this kind of sounds like exactly what Thomas would say to a new girlfriend about Kathryn,” says Olindo. “That’s a red flag.”
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And even Conover couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the accusations made against Abruzzo and those against Ravenel.
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In September, Ravenel was arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree. Ravenel has denied all the allegations.
“Everything that we know about Kathryn and Thomas’ relationship is everything this guy’s ex-wife is saying about him,” Conover says.
“I would just hate more than anything for her to fall back into something like that,” adds Chelsea Meissner. “She’s come so far.”
Of course, fans now know Dennis is currently dating singer Hunter Price. The two confirmed their relationship in January.
Southern Charm airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.