Kathryn Dennis Spends Thanksgiving with Friends After Custody Agreement with Thomas Ravenel
Correction: An earlier version of this story may have implied that the children’s father, Thomas Ravenel, did not see them on Thanksgiving, when in fact he did. The story has been updated to accurately reflect this information.
Kathryn Dennis is just where she wants to be — surrounded by friends and family.
The Southern Charm star celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday at her friend and business partner Donna Steele’s house in North Carolina.
“She has a huge family so we are going to have a big celebration,” Dennis previously told PEOPLE of her holiday plans. “You know, when your mom is gone you have to come up with new traditions.”
While Dennis didn’t share a photo with her kids, daughter Kensington Calhoun, 5, and son Saint, 3, from the gathering, the reality star shared a photo of gift tags with their names on it. She also posed in front of several gorgeous Christmas trees with Steele.
“gorgeous thanksgiving at the Steele’s! paired with a Christmas tree, of course #youalreadyknowthevibes ❄️” she wrote in her caption, clearly ready to get into the Christmas spirit.
A post shared by Kathryn Calhoun Dennis (@kathryndennis) on Nov 28, 2019 at 7:28pm PST
Meanwhile, Thomas Ravenel shared several photos and videos to Twitter over the weekend, showing him enjoying the holiday with Kensie and Saint, though his account has since been deleted.
The special occasion marks the first holiday Dennis has spent since finalizing her custody agreement with ex Thomas Ravenel earlier this month.
“I feel good that we actually are moving forward,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “I feel like we had been at a stand still and my whole life has been stunted from that. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted.”
Ravenel, 57, and Dennis, 28, have agreed to share joint legal and physical custody of Kensington and Saint, with Ravenel having “primary legal custody,” his lawyer told PEOPLE.
RELATED: Kathryn Dennis Celebrates Son’s Birthday After Reaching Custody Agreement with Thomas Ravenel
“The parties’ custody agreement awarded Mr. Ravenel primary legal custody of the minor children,” his lawyer said in a statement. “The parties currently share physical custody of the children on a 36%/64% split, with Ms. Dennis having the children five out of fourteen overnights and Mr. Ravenel having the children nine out of fourteen overnights. This time-sharing arrangement is scheduled to change in the Summer of 2020, whereby the parties will then share physical custody of the children on a 50/50 week-on week-off basis. Ms. Dennis is required to employ a nanny during the majority of her time with the children and Mr. Ravenel has agreed to pay the nanny’s salary in lieu of child support.”
Their agreement comes three years after Dennis lost full custody of her children in 2016 and entered rehab after testing positive for marijuana. Ravenel, who no longer stars on Southern Charm, was awarded full custody at the time.
In October 2018, she filed documents in Charleston seeking to obtain primary custody of the two children after Ravenel was arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree. Ravenel pleaded guilty in September to third-degree assault and battery after his children’s former nanny accused him of rape. He agreed to pay a $500 fine in lieu of a 30-day jail sentence.
Ravenel and Nanny Dawn, 44 — who asked that she be publicly identified by her first name and occupation for her own privacy — reached a $125,000 settlement in October, with Ravenel agreeing to pay $45,000 in her personal legal fees and an additional $80,000 to a local nonprofit aiding adult survivors of sexual assault.
