The husband of B. Smith is opening up about his relationship with another woman as he cares for the famed restaurateur and lifestyle guru amid her ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The two met in the summer of 2017 at a Hamptons bar, and struck up a conversation. Romance didn’t come at first. “We were friends,” Lerner, a divorced mother of three, toldThe Post, adding that she had socialized with Smith, 69, previously at charity events. “I didn’t want to go out with a married man.”
“What I admire about him is that he takes care of her,” she explained toThe Post.
“If I can be compassionate to her … if I can do anything for her, it makes me feel good,” she toldThe Post, her voice “breaking,” according to the outlet. “If it is giving her something to drink, or making her something to eat — she loves to eat — I feel good.”
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The news came as she was continuing to build her empire. Over the years, she opened three eponymous restaurants, wrote three cookbooks, and hosted the nationally syndicated show,B. Smith With Style. She also made history as the first African American woman to grace the cover ofMademoisellemagazine, as well as the first African American woman to launch her own brand of home goods (atBed, Bath and Beyond.)
From there, it appears Smith’s health has only gotten worse.The Postreported that the disease has “ravaged [Smith’s] brain, jumbling her memories, [and] turning her sentences into alphabet soup.”
His daughter from a previous marriage Dana, 32, has given her blessing to their relationship. “When he told me, I was like, ‘Thank God. I’m happy,’ ” Dana toldThe Post, explaining that her father has not abandoned Smith, who raised Dana since she was young. “B. is my mom … She’s in this house. She’s here every day.”
“I love my wife but I can’t let her take away my life!” he added. “5-10 years from now when many of you who will have an almost predestined meeting with Alzheimer’s because of genetics, obesity, and a myriad of inflammatory diseases, you’ll be wishing for someone to share moments with and ease the pain of loneliness and despair.”
He continued. “The clock is ticking. I know I can and have [managed] this, but can you do it too?”
source: people.com
