Dolores Catania is marking a beautiful new chapter in her life; she’s officially engaged. The “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star and reigning “Traitors” champion is now engaged to her longtime partner, Paulie Connell, after nearly five years of dating.
“I’m ecstatic!” Catania, 54, told People magazine. “You know when you feel that happiness down in your gut? That’s where this excitement stems from for me. I feel so blessed, I almost feel guilty! Like I don’t deserve to be loved this way.”
Connell, 51, couldn’t stop gushing over his fiancée. “I keep telling Dolores she deserves that and so much more,” he said. “She’s an incredible woman. When I was proposing, I was able to tell her everything I see in her — the impact she has on everyone around her. She’s one in a million.”
A Proposal Straight from the Heart
BravoPeople reported that Connell popped the question on Monday, November 10, at a location close to their hearts, the Apple Store in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, where he and Catania first met. The businessman said he wanted the proposal to reflect who they truly are as a couple.
“I could have proposed on a yacht in Greece or rented a hall with fireworks,” Connell shared. “But that’s not who we are. I wanted it to feel grounded and organic — and I wanted to surprise her.”
He certainly succeeded. “Oh, I had not a clue at all,” Catania said with a laugh. “He was sweating so much, his T-shirt was soaked, his face was beet red. I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance! Then he started saying these sweet things, and I realized he was proposing.”
The Perfect Ring & a Sweet Surprise
GettyConnell sealed the moment with a dazzling ring from John Anthony Jewelers in Edgewater, New Jersey, an 11-carat centerpiece surrounded by four additional carats of diamonds, including a band lined with princess-cut stones.
“Go big or go home,” Catania quipped. But the surprises didn’t stop there. When she returned home, more than 1,000 roses awaited her. “He really hit it out of the park,” she said, smiling.
The proposal date carried special meaning, too. November 10 marked four years since Catania moved in with Connell. To celebrate, the newly engaged couple returned to Rocco’s Steakhouse in Manhattan, the very place where they shared their first date.
As for wedding plans, the pair say they’re in no rush. “I’d love to get married on the day we got engaged because November has always been sentimental for me,” Connell said. “But we really want to enjoy this moment first.”
Catania agreed, noting that life with Connell already feels complete. “The way we’ve set up our life, we can do things however and whenever we want,” she said. “I don’t do things based on what people think I should do. I’ve never done that. Just ask my friends!”
Connell delightfully added, “I’m just glad Dolores won’t have to answer that question anymore about when I’m going to propose!”
Catania chimed in: “Me too.”
