"No matter what Thomas may have done in his past, that doesn't change the way she looks at him," a source tells PEOPLE

Disgraced Southern Charm star Thomas Ravenel isn’t participating the show’s season 5 reunion, but he still had an ally at the shoot.

Bravo’s Andy Cohen confirmed on Tuesday night that Ravenel’s girlfriend Ashley Jacobs taped the end-of-season special in New York City.

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“It was intensely dramatic, which is why I have droopy everything tonight,” he said on the Watch What Happens Live after-show. “And Ashley was there. It was really something.”

A source close to Jacobs tells PEOPLE that she was “really happy to be able to finally set the record straight about her feelings.”

Image zoom Ashley Jacobs and Thomas Ravenel MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock

“She’s glad she was at the reunion and able to defend him on his behalf,” the source adds.

South Carolina police are investigating allegations of sexual assault brought against former politician Ravenel, 55, by “nanny Dawn,” who was featured on the show caring for Ravenel’s two children with ex Kathryn Calhoun Dennis: daughter Kensie, 4, and son Saint, 2½. Dawn claimed he attempted to kiss her after coming back from a night out with friends.

Additionally, real estate agent Ashley Perkins has alleged that Ravenel assaulted her mom Debbie Holloway Perkins after meeting him on Tinder in October 2015 and going on a last-minute first date.

Ravenel has denied the accusations through his attorney, and a source close to the network told PEOPLE earlier this month that “no decision has been made yet” about firing him from Southern Charm.

Jacobs, 32, has clashed with Dennis, 25, all season long. She posted a cryptic Instagram story on Monday night with a photo of herself in Manhattan and the caption “What a day!!! #ISurvived.”

Image zoom Ashley Jacobs/Instagram

“She’s been unfairly edited all season and painted as a crazy person, while Kathryn — who was instigating a lot of the drama, was made to look like a saint,” the source says. “Everyone ganged up on her all year long. Watching it back has been heartbreaking. … She’s being harassed online. She’s received death threats. People are terrible, flooding her Twitter and Instagram with insults and negativity.

RELATED VIDEO: ‘Southern Charm’s’ Kathryn Dennis On ‘Natural Chemistry’ with Thomas Ravenel: ‘There’s Common Ground From the Past’

“Ashley loves Thomas — the two of them have a great bond,” the source adds. ‘Their relationship is stronger than ever, even among these allegations. No matter what Thomas may have done in his past, that doesn’t change the way she looks at him. She knows he has a history, but she’s interested in their future. Their relationship is the real deal.”