Southern Charm 's Kathryn Dennis Celebrates 1 Year with Boyfriend Chleb Ravenell: '12 Months Down'
Kathryn Dennis and Chleb Ravenell are still going strong!
The couple celebrated their 1-year anniversary of dating on Saturday, which the 29-year-old Southern Charm star honored with a special Instagram post.
"12 months down 💅✨," Dennis captioned a photo of herself in a revealing black cocktail dress alongside Ravenell, 32, at a club in Charleston, South Carolina.
Dennis and Ravenell made their relationship Instagram official in October 2020 after reportedly dating quietly that summer. A source told PEOPLE the couple had "good chemistry together."
RELATED: Kathryn Dennis Moves in with Boyfriend Chleb Ravenell amid Custody Issues with Ex Thomas Ravenel
"He's met the kids and is good with them," the source said, regarding Dennis' two children, Kensie, 6, and Saint, 4, whom she shares with ex Thomas Ravenel (Despite similar last names, there is no relation to Ravenell).
Dennis moved into a Charleston apartment with Revenell in April amid a custody dispute with the father of her children. The Bravo star temporarily lost custody of the kids in February, more than a year after the couple settled their tumultuous custody battle.
The reason for the custody change is unknown as court records remain sealed.
In a January episode of Southern Charm, Leva Bonaparte accused Dennis of using her relationship with Ravenell, a Black man, as a "strategic" way to deflect from recent racism allegations.
RELATED: Kathryn Dennis Apologizes for Using Racially Insensitive Emoji: 'I Know and Will Do Better'
"I didn't really think it was real," said Bonaparte, the show's first cast member of color. "That was her strategic move, I guess."
"Banging a Black guy doesn't make you woke," she added.
Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Kathryn Dennis
In May 2020, Dennis apologized for using a racially insensitive emoji when talking to Tamika Gadsden, a Black radio show host. Gadsden said the Bravo star used a monkey emoji to "taunt" her on Instagram via her direct messages after she criticized Charleston boutique owner Katie Shields for organizing a Donald Trump rally with her friends.
In her apology, Dennis called her decision "wrong," claiming she "did not give it thought" nor is she "that person." She promised to "do better" moving forward.
"I want to acknowledge that using a monkey emoji in my text was offensive, and from the bottom of my heart I sincerely apologize to anyone and everyone I hurt. Although the context was not my intention, there are no 'ifs ands or buts' that excuse me," she wrote on Twitter.
twitter Kathryn Dennis
Dennis addressed the fallout she faced from the controversy during a January episode of Southern Charm. Dennis told Shep Rose she and Ravenell began dating before the scandal but opted to remain out of the public eye to avoid the perception that their relationship was "convenient."
RELATED: Southern Charm: Leva Bonaparte Calls Kathryn Dennis' Relationship 'Strategic' After Racism Scandal
"My boyfriend is Black," she said over lunch. "Chleb and I have known each other since … we started flirting and kind of hanging out probably before the quarantine. [It was] a few months ago, I don't know the exact date."
"As I'm talking to Leva Bonaparte about the monkey emoji, well, I could easily be like, 'Yeah, well, I do have a Black boyfriend.' But I'm not going to say that because I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, that's convenient,'" Dennis explained.
