Bethenny Frankel Opens Up About Engagement with Paul Bernon: 'It's Really Wonderful'

Bethenny Frankel is "excited" about her engagement to Paul Bernon.

PEOPLE confirmed on Tuesday that the Real Housewives of New York City alum, 50, got engaged Bernon, 43, after finalizing her contentious divorce from ex Jason Hoppy.

Frankel opened up about her life as a fiancée to Extra, telling the outlet in an interview published on Monday, "I'm very excited, and it's really wonderful."

The Skinnygirl mogul began dating Bernon, a film producer and real estate developer, in 2018.

The couple first sparked engagement rumors when Frankel was spotted wearing a massive diamond ring in Florida earlier this month.

"Things are wonderful," Frankel told PEOPLE of their relationship in late 2019, following the couple's one-year dating anniversary.

"He's a good person who I love," she continued. "I don't know if it's a yin to my yang, but he's really relaxed, he's mellow and he's very, very funny."

The former Bravo star added of Bernon, "He has a really nice family too; I'm very close to them."

The couple split briefly this past fall, according to multiple reports. Frankel addressed her relationship challenges during a virtual appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October, saying, "You know, not everything works out and so many people have tried to define my life — our lives — with, 'When are you getting engaged?' 'When are you having a baby?' 'When are you getting married?' "

"And I've just realized more in life, with people being more open and honest about their lives and what they want, that everything doesn't have to sort of end in a blue box and a bow," she said.

"We've had a great, great relationship and I'm really happy," Frankel continued. "Not everything has to end badly; some things just don't continue and it's not negative, it's just life."

Three months after the candid interview, Frankel and Bernon were spotted spending time together in early January, when they were seen holding hands during a trip to Miami.

Later that month, the duo were photographed holding hands in Boston.

Frankel — who shares 10-year-old daughter Bryn with Hoppy, 50 — previously said that her child "loves" Bernon.

"Bryn knows him and loves him," she told Andy Cohen during a 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live. "They're very, very similar people."