Reality star Bethenny Frankel - who made her name on the hit show The Real Housewives of New York - is separating from her husband Jason Hoppy, she announced in a statement on Sunday (December 23, 2012). The couple married in a lavish bash in March 2010 and have one child together, a daughter named Bryn.

"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," Frankel said in a statement reported by Reuters. 

"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," she added. 

In a more personal message to fans, Frankel tweeted, "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." The hugely successful businesswoman first attracted attention on The Real Housewives, which chronicled the daily lives of various wealthy New York women, however, she went on to appear in the spin-offs Bethenny Getting Married? And Bethenny Ever After. 

The daughter of legendary horse racing trainer Robert J. Frankel, she founded the Skinnygirl line of cocktails and have authored various self-help books. In 2012, she signed on to front her own talk show Bethenny, which is scheduled to air nationally in 2013.