Dolores Catania Is Trying to Find a “Happy Medium” with Ex Frank Catania
The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member shared an update on her friendship with Frank now that she’s in a serious relationship with Paul “Paulie” Connell.
On Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, viewers have seen Dolores Catania and her ex, Frank Catania, navigate new waters. (And, uh, we’re not just talking about the time Dolores enlisted Frank to pose in an Easter Bunny getup.) While the co-parents have remained close since they divorced in 1998, things are a bit complicated now.
Dolores is in a relationship with Paul “Paulie” Connell, while Frank is dating Brittany Ann Mattessich. According to Dolores, she and Frank are learning to find a “happy medium” in their relationship. “This is a hard time for [Frank], it’s a transition and he doesn’t like change. He’s taking it personal and he is hurt. I don’t wanna see him hurt,” Dolores told Us Weekly on March 13.
But she has many feelings about the situation. “Then I’m mad, don’t make me feel guilty right now, just go along with this for me,” Dolores continued. “I’ve always been there for everybody. Just let me enjoy somebody who is giving me a lot of attention. Paul wants to be so much a part of my life and he’s so good about it and I’m enjoying my time here. So please don’t take that away from me and make me feel bad.”
She continued: “[Frank and I] will always be there for each other and the kids aren’t little anymore and there isn’t the call for that to be so much intertwined, but there’s a happy medium for everything and there’s compromises in relationships and we’re just not used to it. In 25 years we’ve never had to do this, and he’s in a serious relationship and I’m very happy for them.”
Meanwhile, Dolores sometimes gets put in the middle of another complicated relationship. The mother of two recently weighed in on the long-rumored-about feud between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga.
“There’s so much hurt going on here, and there’s so much behind-the-scenes going on. And I think it’s nastier and uglier than it’s ever been,” she said when she appeared on the We Should Talk series for In the Know by Yahoo!
Dolores is determined to remain neutral. “Now it’s coming to the point where it hasn’t been easy amongst the women for them to not feel some type of way about me that I’m not jumping on either side,” she said. “But not now and not ever do I let somebody else dictate how I handle things.”
Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo Tuesdays at 9/8c and the next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.
