Dolores Catania’s Ex-Husband Frank Reacts to Her Paulie Connell Engagement

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania’s ex-husband, Frank Catania, is thrilled about her engagement to Paulie Connell.

“Congratulations 🎉🎈,” Frank, 60, commented on People’s Instagram post announcing the news on Wednesday, November 12. “We are so happy for you guys and can’t wait to celebrate. Love you guys.”

Dolores, 54, and Frank were married from 1994 to 1998. The former spouses have maintained a friendship and coparenting relationship through the years as they raised their kids, Gabrielle, 30, and Frankie, 26.

Gabrielle also reacted to the engagement news via her Instagram Story, writing, “Screaming congratulations to my perfect mommis and Paulie P. Our family is so lucky to have you and yours.”

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Dolores and Connell, 51, got engaged at the Apple Store in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, on Monday, November 10, the couple shared with People on Wednesday. While it may seem like an unconventional place to pop the question, the store holds special meaning to Dolores and Connell, as it’s where their love story began in 2021.

“I didn’t want anything over-the-top and staged because we’re a humble couple,” Connell told the outlet. “I wanted it to feel grounded and natural and organic. Plus, I wanted the element of surprise. And believe me, I had the element of surprise.”

Dolores said she had “no clue” the proposal was coming and joked that she thought she might “have to call an ambulance” for her now-fiancé.

“He was sweating so bad, his T-shirt was soaked, his face was beet red. And you know how people say weird things when they’re having a stroke? He started saying these sweet, beautiful things to me out of nowhere, and I was like, ‘Paul, are you OK?’” she explained.

Dolores also said she is “ecstatic” to be taking the next step in her romance with Connell, adding that she’s “never been so sure of something ever.”

“You know when you feel that happiness down in your gut? That’s where this excitement stems from for me,” she added. “I feel so blessed, I almost feel guilty! Like I don’t deserve to be loved this way.”

Meanwhile, Connell said Dolores deserves “so much more” than she thinks.

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“She’s an incredible woman,” he said. “And when I was proposing to her, I was able to articulate to her everything I see that she is, and everything I see that she does, and the impact she has on everybody around her. She’s one in a million.”

Us Weekly broke the news of Dolores and Connell’s relationship in 2021. The electrical contractor later made his debut on RHONJ in February 2023.

“Kudos to him for being such a good sport about it,” Dolores told Us about Connell’s appearance in season 13. “But again, now he has to live this. And a lot of conversations revolve around our relationship, and I haven’t seen them yet. So, I don’t know how Paul’s gonna handle ’em. I’m a very easygoing person. I let a lot of things roll off my back, but I can’t say that for everyone.”