Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Paul “Paulie” Connell may have told Frank Catania that he already picked out a ring to propose to Dolores Catania with. But according to Margaret Josephs, there may be a big reason why he hasn’t done so quite yet.
After Margaret revealed after this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey that Dolores’ boyfriend of about a year and a half is currently married, with some other co-stars weighing in on Dolores’ future with the Irishman, Paul set the record straight about his marital status.
On the May 9 episode of the RHONJ: After Show, Melissa Gorga, Danielle Cabral, and Jennifer Aydin all said they were “excited” about Dolores and Paul’s impending engagement as Jackie Goldschneider said it would “be great.”
“Maybe I’ll actually be excited to go to the wedding,” Melissa joked. “I feel like she wants that. I feel like she plays tough, and she wants to be independent.”
“She is very independent, though,” Rachel Fuda agreed.
However, according to Jackie, she’s not so sure that Dolores’ independence was something she chose for herself.
“I think she was independent because she had no choice. No one was wrapping her up in their arms and saying like, ‘You’re mine,’ like [Frank Catania] wasn’t doing that, [her ex-boyfriend, Dr. David Principe] didn’t do that. Paulie’s doing that now, and clearly she’s into it, so is she really that independent, or did she have no choice?” Jackie wondered.
“I think Dolores has wanted stability for a long time. She’s really committed to this man and let him give her that commitment in return,” she added.
In her own RHONJ: After Show segment, Dolores admitted that she and Paul haven’t felt this way about anyone else they’ve met “in a very long time.”
“It’s fun to think about things that I haven’t thought about since I was 19 years old. Think about this: I’m divorced for 25 years, 24 years. Could I have gotten married? Of course, I could’ve. But it’s not something that I’ve thought about in so long the way that I think about it now, and it was nice, but it’s not like I’m rushing for it,” she clarified. “I’m very happy with the commitment I have right now, to be honest, but is it nice to dream at the moment and talk about, ‘Oh if we had a wedding, what would it be like?’”
“[It] doesn’t mean we have to go do it tomorrow,” she continued. “Of course, human nature, you think about the next steps, but then you really want to really think about it. I have time. I don’t have little kids.”
In response, Teresa Giudice told Dolores she doesn’t “have to get married,” saying she “should beat at [her] own drum.”
Meanwhile, Margaret commented on Paul’s commitment to Dolores.
“I mean, he definitely peed on her leg. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh Dolores wanted a ring from David.’ Sometimes I think Dolores isn’t so rushing to get married. That’s my honest opinion,” Margaret noted.
Then, in a somewhat unexpected revelation, she revealed she believes Paul is still married to his ex-wife, the mother of his two sons.
“As far as I know, Paulie’s not divorced,” she shared. “I mean, I guess it’s hard to get married if you’re not divorced. You can give rings.”
And in response to Margaret’s claim, Paul confirmed that despite having separated from his ex over a decade ago, he is currently married.
In a statement to All About the Real Housewives, Paul said, “I am not divorced [yet] but obviously, I [have been] separated for many years. A document to finalize the past or set the present is not preventing myself and Dolores from planning our future together in any way or form.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.