Bethenny Frankel took to Instagram and TikTok on Thursday to let her fans know why her face has looked “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 slew of symptoms including weight gain, bloating, dehydration and body aches.
“A lot of you ask why my face looks different in my makeup videos and it’s because I’m messed up. I’m not doing very well,” she shared in an Instagram video.
She later took to TikTok with more clips, and at one point her voice cracked as she burst into tears while talking about staying healthy for her 12-year-old daughter Bryn Hoppy.
“My real thing is the terror of not being healthy for my daughter. This is the most important thing. Who cares about the rest, I just want to be healthy for her.
POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is a blood flow disorder that causes your heart to beat faster than normal after you transition from sitting to standing.
Patients diagnosed with POTS may experience rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, fainting, and dizziness.
The reality TV star first took to Instagram, writing, “There were comments about my different face in recent videos so here’s why.”
“I’m bloated, swollen and gained 4 pounds in 3 days because my body is desperately clinging to whatever water it can,” the star explained.
She continued, “A while ago I shared what has been a serious battle with POTS. This is an autoimmune disease that appears to have been greatly exacerbated since COVID. I know you are many, so thank you for all this information. It is certainly a condition to be managed.
“I suffer from severe chronic dehydration. I always had extremely low blood pressure and dehydration, but it got worse exponentially.
“I’m making a huge effort to stay hydrated, getting IVs and haven’t had an alcohol in 6 months. I’m basically on the case,’ Frankel added.
“The altitude and a dry climate (in my favorite place in the world to practice 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 commenting on someone’s physical appearance, you may not know exactly what they are going through personally, physically and emotionally.
In her Instagram video, she also described being “riddled with aches and pains”.
“It’s like very intense and it’s been really bad for the last few years since this autoimmune thing that I’ve been dealing with,” she said.
The former Bravo star added, “That’s why I look screwed.”
“I wake up like every two hours in such pain and dying of thirst,” she added.
She later took to her TikTok with a bare-faced video as she explained she wasn’t going to screen her face because “It’s me today.”
She captioned the clip, “POTS is real and so are the COVID effects.”
In a follow-up video, she became emotional while discussing her only daughter, with whom she shares ex-husband Jason Hoppy.
“I want to go on vacation to Aspen and take her snowboarding. I want to live long because I had a child later in life.
“I’m absolutely scared because I don’t like that I’m doing everything to be perfectly healthy, and yet sometimes this thing wins out and it’s upsetting,” she added.
“I never do that but I don’t want to give the impression that I always have it under control. I definitely don’t,” Bethenny wrote in the caption.