Dorit Kemsley

Dorit Kemsley was born Dorit Lemel in Woodbridge, Connecticut, to Jewish parents Shalom and Rachel Lemel. She attended Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge.

She graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in marketing, design, and communication, then spent time at the University of Florence in Italy.

Kemsley spent 10 years in Italy, where she worked in marketing and sales for a global swimwear company. After returning to the United States, she founded the New York City-based swimwear label Dorit International in 2009, later known as Dorit Swimwear. The collection was carried by boutiques in the New York metropolitan area and Athens, Greece.

In 2017, she announced Beverly Beach by Dorit, which officially launched in March 2018. The brand later expanded into athletic wear through Beverly Beach Body, a candle called Paradiso!, and a holiday hair-accessory collection. Kemsley collaborated with Australian bridal brand Nektaria on a line of wedding, cocktail, and evening dresses that launched in 2021.

Kemsley joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during its seventh season in 2016 and became a main cast member. Lisa Vanderpump introduced her to the series, and Kemsley has remained a full-time cast member across nine seasons described in the show's franchise statistics.

Her television appearances have also included Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Show-Off, and the animated series The Prince, in which she voiced herself in the episode "Beverly Hills."

Kemsley married English property developer Paul Kemsley on March 7, 2015, at the Rainbow Room in New York City. Singer Boy George performed at the wedding. The couple have two children, Jagger Kemsley and Phoenix Kemsley.

Dorit and Paul Kemsley announced their separation in May 2024, after nine years of marriage. She filed for divorce in April 2025, citing irreconcilable differences.

On October 27, 2021, three masked men broke into Kemsley's Encino home while she was there with her children and Paul Kemsley was on a business trip in London. The intruders confronted her at gunpoint and demanded to know where the family's valuables were.

The men ransacked the home and took handbags, jewelry, and watches. No arrests had been made in connection with the robbery.