'RHONJ' star Dolores Catania presses 'legally married' Paulie Connell over no engagement after 3 years of dating
EDGEWATER, NEW JERSEY: Hold on to the wedding bells a little bit! Dolores Catania of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' is reprimanding her partner for not yet finalizing his divorce from his ex. After 'RHONJ' Season 13, Paulie Connell became the focal point of Dolores's frustration due to his ongoing struggle to secure a formal divorce from his estranged wife.
Despite Paulie's semi-admission a while back that he had already bought Dolores an engagement ring and that they were constantly discussing marriage "all the time," it appears like their relationship is currently at a standstill, as shown in Season 14, Episode 6. “Explain this to me,” stated Dolores. “What’s taking so long?”
Is 'RHONJ's Paulie Connell still married?
Indeed, despite their 15-year separation, the Dubliner who has been seeing Dolores since 2021 is still legally married to a different lady. In the most recent episode of Episode 6, Dolores recounted to Paulie during lunch why the engagement between Frank Catania, Dolores's ex, and his girlfriend, Brittany Mattessich, had come up at Danielle Cabral's Boujie Brunch.
Almost without exception, the topic of Paulie and Dolores' opinions on marriage and love came up. Dolores stated, "There’s no reason to talk about that until this divorce is final. We’re here, but to go here, you have to finalize what you’re doing." “So, do you think if I get divorced, I’m just gonna get on my knee and get engaged to you the next day?” he asked.
Dolores acknowledged that she was growing irritated with the wait. She went on, "Now I’m getting angry. I’m getting frustrated with it a little bit because you told me you were going to be divorced last year."
Paulie acknowledged delaying the task, but he declined to attribute it to COVID-19, stating that such behavior is common among everyone.
'RHONJ's Dolores Catania recalls a similar experience with ex-David Principe
Dolores acknowledged to the makers of 'RHONJ' that she wasn't surprised by delayed engagements, referring to her past relationship with David Principe, an ex-boyfriend who had previously been Frank's roommate.
The Paterson native emphasized David's unwillingness to comply with the filmmakers by stating, "I've already been through this with David." “Me not moving in with David because I wasn’t engaged was definitely smart,” Dolores added in her confessional. “But now I’m like, ‘What the f-ck are you doing?’”
She clarified that she had moved in with Paulie a year earlier, which should have made it easier for her to become Paulie's fiancée, but nothing has happened as of yet.
Why is 'RHONJ's Paulie Connell still married?
Margaret Josephs is being praised by viewers for disclosing Paul's marital status to them during Season 13 and on 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey After Show.'
"I mean, I guess it’s hard to get married if you’re not divorced," Margaret remarked in the episode from May 2023. "You can give rings, I guess."
Later, Paulie posted a photo of Dolores and him in a vehicle at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel on Instagram. "Sticks & Stones…" Paulie said in the caption, "We all know the rest of the story. When it’s the one thing, nothing else matters."
"[You] tell them," Dolores said in a remark with a red love emoji and the hashtag "Facts." When Paulie mentioned at BravoCon in November 2023 that his divorce was "pretty much closed," the topic of potential divorce proceedings also arose.
Paulie stated in front of a live audience, "Obviously, we’re talking about a future; I’d be a silly person if I was not. Dolores means everything to me. Since I met her, she made me a better person. The future is looking bright."
'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' Season 14 airs on Bravo on Sundays at 8 pm ET.