B. Smith's husband criticized for having girlfriend while she battles Alzheimer's

Dan Gasby has been right by the side of his wife, iconic model and restaurateur B. Smith, as she lives with the ravages of Alzheimer's disease after being diagnosed in 2013.

However, Gasby's revelation last month that he is in a relationship with another woman while still caring for his 69-year-old ailing wife — whose full name is Barbara Smith — has led to criticism from some of her upset fans.

Gasby, 64, revealed in a Facebook post in December that he is in a relationship with Alex Lerner, 53, sparking a negative response from those who see it as inappropriate while his wife battles Alzheimer's.

"To steal the title from 50 Cent & The Game 'Hate it or Love it!'" he wrote next to a picture with Lerner. "You can debate, but for me I’m just feelin’ great! Life’s to short to ask for a rebate so I’m gonna surf thru life before it’s toooo late!!! #whylie"

Gasby has faced criticism for his relationship with Lerner, mixed in with support.

"You don’t bring your mistress in the house where your WIFE lives. She’s not dead," one Facebook commenter wrote.

"Dan you stay strong,'' another wrote. "No one can live your life but you."

Gasby fired back at the critics with a Facebook post on Monday in which he addressed the "idiots and ignorant people calling for my arrest and saying B is or has ever been abused."

"I only wish someone in your immediate family has Alzheimer’s so you can see feel and experience the pain of millions of people across this country so you can know first hand what it’s like to care 24/7/365 for someone who can no longer care for themselves!" he wrote. "B. Smith’s worst day is 10x better than you’ve experienced.

"I love my wife but I can’t let her take away my life!"

Gasby has also been open about the challenges of caring for Smith. In 2015, she became disoriented and wandered through the streets of New York City for more than 17 hours before being located. She has also suffered from seizures and multiple falls.

He wrote about the experience of having a loved one living with Alzheimer's disease in an emotional Facebook post on Dec. 30.

"No matter how much you’ve learned or been exposed to Alzheimer’s and dementia when the person you’ve been married to for what is closing in on 3 decades calls you Daddy and it ain’t a term of endearment but the actual belief you are her father it shakes you to your very core,'' he wrote.

Of the 16 million family caregivers in the U.S., almost 60 percent suffer from high emotional stress and 40 percent suffer from depression, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Smith does not recognize her husband, daughter or Lerner. She speaks in jumbled sentences that make little sense and takes up to 45 minutes to get dressed with the assistance of Gasby's daughter, Dana, 32, according to a profile by The Washington Post.

Gasby and Smith, who have been married since 1992, spoke with TODAY in 2015 about their relationship as her symptoms continued to worsen. The two became business partners, as well as husband and wife, after initially meeting when he was the executive producer of the Essence Awards and she was a model and lifestyle expert.

"I deal with it in a practical way," she said. "I know that I’ve got a problem. Sometimes it makes me teary. But because I have great support with my husband and my family, you know, I’m doing fine."

Gasby and his daughter care for her in their home in East Hampton, New York, where there is a room for Lerner when she visits from her home in Manhattan.

"If 'This Is Us,' and 'Modern Family' came together, it would be us," Gasby told The Washington Post.

In the years following Smith's initial diagnosis, she and Gasby also worked to spread awareness about Alzheimer's disease. Smith taped a public service announcement with the Brain Health Registry, urging people to go to its website to take cognitive tests and maybe sign up for a clinical trial.

They were hoping the message would especially reach African-Americans, who are twice as likely as whites to develop the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.