The Rise And Fall Of Kathryn Dennis

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by AMY FEINSTEIN

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While the life, loves, and losses of former Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis have been tabloid fodder throughout the years, her latest brush with infamy led to her being incarcerated at the Berkley County, South Carolina detention center, where she was sentenced to thirty days behind bars following an arrest and conviction for driving under the influence following a three-car incident which allegedly left one man injured.

The accident and arrest took place in May of 2024 – with the investigation into the incident conducted by the embattled Goose Creek Police Department (GCPD).

After being found guilty, Dennis began serving her sentence during the first week of October at the detention center – located in her hometown of Moncks Corner, S.C. She was released after serving less than half of her sentence.

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Dennis, 34, currently lives with her father, Luke Dennis, at the family home on Lewisfield Plantation. As previously noted, Dennis is tied to three of the most famous families in South Carolina political history. In addition to tracing her lineage back to prominent Palmetto politicos including S.C Senate president Rembert Dennis and former U.S. vice president John C. Calhoun, she was also the longtime partner of former S.C. state treasurer Thomas Ravenel, her Southern Charm co-star.

Dennis is currently represented in a civil action tied to the accident by attorney H. Lucius Laffitte III of Charleston County. As FITSNews reported, Orangeburg resident Larry Patrick Griffin was allegedly injured in the collision and filed a civil complaint against Dennis. Mr. Griffin is being represented by attorney W. Scott Palmer of Santee, S.C.

Laffitte has chosen not to give comment at this time.

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Dennis became a nationwide sensation on Southern Charm at the age of 21, having left college at the University of South Carolina prior to graduating. Friends who knew her at that time still speak highly of the statuesque redhead and her prospects, saying they are still certain she can still do “anything she sets her mind to.”

“She was a lightning bolt in college,” Dennis’ longtime friend, Lauren Luxenburg, stated. “She collected attention anywhere and everywhere she went. She is so much more than the show (Southern Charm), made her appear to be.”

“A lot of people have either given up on her or enabled her,” Luxenburg added. “I refuse to do either.”

Others have exploited Dennis for their own gain, another former friend confided.

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Rather than returning to school, Dennis was added to the cast of the show as “a friend” or partner of Ravenel – a main cast member who was in his fifties at the time. FITSNews founding editor Will Folks actually introduced Dennis to Ravenel and the show’s producers – and appeared in Southern Charm‘s first episode, encouraging Ravenel to date the redheaded starlet.

Dennis quickly became a full-time cast member and stayed on the show for multiple seasons – departing after the eighth season in 2023.

The combustible nature of the Dennis-Ravenel relationship fueled Southern Charm’s rise – and made them both superstars.

During her decade on the national stage, Dennis bore two children to Ravenel (Kensington Calhoun Ravenel and Julian St. Rembert Ravenel) – but soon found herself on the outs with the former politician as a twenty-something unwed mother of two, who struggled with substance abuse and depression.

“I want the best for all my relationships – with all people – and for the people in those relationships, whether I am with them or not,” Dennis told FITSNews in 2016. “I really do. So I want the best for (Ravenel) and always want to think the best of him as the father of my children but … I believe we all have a limit. And we all have a point at which we just can’t keep giving – whether it’s love, or trust, or even our time. All of those things are very precious and shouldn’t be wasted.”

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In 2019, Dennis lost her mother and closest confidant, Allison Calhoun Dennis, after a struggle with cancer – which added to her own struggles.

Baby nurse and maternal health specialist Dawn Ledwell was formerly in the employ of Ravenel and Dennis, serving as a nanny to their children. Ledwell – who has gone on to specialize in mental health, substance abuse, and mood disorders with Atrium Health in the Carolinas – believes struggles with these issues are often kept a secret due to shame, causing those issues to fester.

“In many cases, shaming people causes those suffering to internalize these issues, and I’m hoping that reading about Kathryn’s case will encourage others to seek help,” Ledwell explained.  “I’m hoping that sharing her truth will lead to her recovery, and that of others.”

Throughout the last decade, though Dennis and Ravenel have each had several other romantic partners (Ravenel also has a third child with a former girlfriend) and legal problems with others, they are both still enmeshed in other lawsuits with each other.

Those cases revolve around the custody of their two children, who are now living exclusively in Aiken, S.C. with their father. Unless either party chooses to surrender, there is no end in sight to the battle being waged by this former reality couple.

FITSNews has tracked this saga from its inception. Count on us to continue providing our audience with pertinent updates on Dennis’ status moving forward.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Amy Feinstein is a freelance journalist with over thirty-two years of experience covering everything from art and architecture to reality television and crime.

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