Real Housewives Star Reveals If She’s Ready For Marriage 20 Years After Divorce

Pixabay A Real Housewives star is not ruling out marriage.

Dolores Catania is thinking long-term with her current boyfriend, Paul Connell.

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, 52, opened up about her serious relationship with the Irish businessman and revealed if marriage could be in their future.

On the February 8, 2023 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” host Andy Cohen asked Catania when Connell is planning to pop the question.

“How should I know?” she replied. “We have talked about a future together. Specifically. marriage isn’t the biggest goal in this relationship. Happiness is.”

In a February 2023  interview with Life & Style, Catania described her love of more than a year as “such a special man” who has put her and her family first since the beginning of their relationship.

“I consider myself very lucky to have met him and am really enjoying our time together,” she added. “[I] can absolutely see a long-term future [with him],” she added. “Stay tuned.”

But Catania stopped short of confirming an engagement timeline. “Whenever you look to take that next step, there are so many nuances and factors that need to be taken into consideration,” she said. “We are loving our time together and know that if it’s meant to be, we will get there, organically.”

Catania has been dating Connell since late 2021 and they went Instagram official on Valentine’s Day 2022.

This is Not the First Time Dolores Catania Has Been Asked About Marriage to Paul Connell

Catania been divorced from her first husband, Frank Catania, for more than 20 years, but he is regularly seen on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”  On the RHONJ season 12 reunion in 2022, Cohen asked Catania if her new boyfriend was husband material. “Any chance of wedding bells with Paulie?” he asked at the time, per BravoTV.com.

“I don’t know. Everything is there that I like and I want, but there’s always… you just never know,” the RHONJ star replied.

In May 2022, Catania and Connell appeared together for a video interview with Page Six, where they were also asked if marriage was their next step.

“I’d say we’re doing a lot of talking,” Connell replied.

“I’d say there’s intention,” Catania added. “We’re in this for the right intentions. Relationships are a lot of work. We spend a lot of time together, we’re growing together. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone but we’re [headed] in the right direction and we have a lot in common.”

Dolores Catania’s First Husband Frank Is Still in Her Life

BravoDolores and Frank Catania.

Although their children, Gabrielle and Frankie, are grown, Catania’s ex-husband is still very much in her life. In 2016, Catania even told The Huffington Post that her relationships usually don’t work out if her partner doesn’t “understand the dynamic” between her and her ex.

“In most marriages, people may grow apart,” she said. “Frank and I are not married and obviously not involved beyond being good friends and co-parents as well as partners in business. He called this morning to see how I’m doing and I sent him a pic of my butt because I just had work done yesterday. But this is completely normal for us. “

Catania previously told Us Weekly that any man in her life has to “sure enough” of himself to be able to handle her close friendship with her ex-husband. “We never separated, even though we got the divorce, she once said on the “Getting Real With the Housewives” podcast, per Us.

At the RHONJ reunion in 2022, Frank Catania did acknowledge while he gets “defensive” of close his relationship with his ex-wife, all he cares about is her happiness. “Dolores is happy. That’s all that matters to me,” he said.

READ NEXT: Harry Hamlin Speaks Out on Wife Lisa Rinna’s RHOBH Exit