Kelly Bensimon

Reality star and model Kelly Bensimon was born May 1, 1968, in Rockford, Ill. Best known for her recurring role on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York, the single mother is no stranger to the spotlight.

As a teen model, Bensimon traveled the world before meeting her now ex-husband, famed fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon, with whom she has two children, Sea Louise (born in 1998) and Thaddeus Ann (born in 2000).

When the brunette bombshell joined the Bravo show in its second season in 2009, she famously clashed with cast member Bethenny Frankel, dividing both the cast and the program’s viewers.

By the show’s next season, the outspoken Bensimon — who posed for Playboy‘s Feb. 2010 cover — continued to worry castmates like Frankel, Alex McCord and Ramona Singer with her kooky antics.

The third season’s finale — where the women confronted Bensimon — was the series’ highest rated episode in its history.