Dolores Catania’s boyfriend Paul “Paulie” Connell teased that he plans to propose soon—but it will be a big surprise.
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star’s man spoke out in a December 2024 interview with In Touch Weekly to confirm that he has the ring and the proposal plan but is just waiting for a judge to sign off on his divorce from his ex-wife Joanne before he pops the question to Catania.
“I have the ring. I’ve always had the [ring],” he said. “I had the stone. I bought the stone a long time ago with her. I knew what she liked.”
“It’s going to be a surprise,” he said of his future proposal to the RHONJ star. “She’s going to never expect it. Whenever it happens, I’m going to throw her so off the scent that whenever it happens, she’s going to be like ‘You mother[expletive].’”
“I think Dolores will be surprised because I’ve got used to expressing my feelings with her,” Connell added. “I never was one to do that. I got gushy over Dolores. I want that to be a special time for her more than anything, so I think she’ll probably be more surprised that I might pull something off.”
According to BravoTV.com, Catania has been dating Connell since 2021 after randomly meeting him at an Apple store. She was previously married to Frank Catania for four years and shares children Gaby and Frankie with him.
Dolores Catania Said She’s Not Pressuring Paul Connell to Marry Her
Connell’s divorce was stalled for a long time. Catania, 54, has always said she doesn’t want a proposal until Connell’s long overdue divorce is finalized.
In May 2024, she told Us Weekly she wasn’t “pushing” for marriage but that she wanted his divorce to be official. “In all fairness, for us to be at the relationship we are, he should not be married and, yeah, I expect a divorce,” she said. “[I don’t expect] a ring [or] marriage. If it comes great, but that has to be [after a divorce].”
The Bravo veteran noted that she was in no rush to walk down the aisle regardless. “Why doesn’t everybody just ask, ‘What’s our next trip? What’s your next plan?’ Does it have to be marriage? Does it have to be engagement?“ she asked. “Happiness is the goal. Peace in our lives is the goal. We’ve had that.”
“I want what I have with Paulie. Whatever comes I will be happy to have, but I’m not pushing for anything,” Catania added.
Dolores Catania Said She ‘Wouldn’t Mind’ Having Cameras at Her Wedding
While she’s not in a rush to walk down the aisle, Catania does know what kind of wedding she wants someday. In a 2023 interview on the “Up and Adam” podcast, she and Connell hinted at a multi-day event.
“A little extravagant but not, like, massive,” Connell teased. “I want it to be more active. I want people involved, I don’t want people to come and drink and sit there and just for party. I want activities and to make it like a fun weekend and not just like about one day,” he said.
Catania added that she would be open to having her wedding filmed for TV, just as her friend Teresa Giudice did when she married Luis Ruelas in 2022.
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Catania said. “With Teresa’s wedding, they allowed the cameras to a certain extent and then they said, ‘Okay it’s time for us to enjoy our wedding and you can go now.’ But it’s really special to be able to have it captured the way that they have their wedding. …You have to understand, like, to have cameras in your life are like a gift. … So yeah, you can hire a videographer at your wedding but it’s not going to be the same as a full-on camera crew for a television show.”
