RHONJ’s Dolores Catania welcomes ex-husband’s new fiancée into the family

RHONJ’s Dolores Catania kindly welcomed her ex-husband’s new fiancée into their family after their recent engagement.

Dolores Catania of Real Housewives of New Jersey married Frank Catania in 1994 and they stayed together for four years.

Though they have been divorced since 1998, Dolores and Frank have kept their family of four very close. They’ve also all lived under the same roof over the years despite not being together as a couple. 

However, times have changed, as Frank recently proposed to his girlfriend Brittany Mattessich.

Dolores has since responded to her ex-husband’s engagement, kindly welcoming Brittany into their family.

Frank Catania has dated his fiancée on and off for over a decade 

Though Dolores and Frank have displayed a great deal of chemistry while on RHONJ, they’ve only been the best of friends and parents to their two children since their separation.

Both have even had public relationships while filming, as Dolores is currently dating Paul Connell who was featured on Season 13 of RHONJ. 

Frank has also been in a committed relationship, having dated Brittany on and off since 2012 when he began training her for fitness competitions.

The pair grew closer over a decade and finally made their relationship official in 2022 when Frank appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen with Brittany in the audience.

However, Frank and Brittany have chosen to take their commitment even further, as Frank proposed to Brittany this October.

The couple happily shared their engagement on Instagram where Brittany expressed, “I’m so excited to start this next chapter with you along with all the other good things we have going on.”

After hearing of her ex-husband’s engagement, Dolores took to Instagram to share her approval of the couple with a photo of the moment after Frank proposed, saying, “All you need is love and that ring, ‘wow.’”

Dolores continued, “I couldn’t be happier for these two lovebirds. Congrats on the engagement!”

She then added Brittany’s IG handle to the caption to welcome her to the family once and for all, saying, “It’s so nice to officially welcome you to the family. Wishing you a lifetime of love, health, and happiness.”

Dolores also jokingly reacted to their soon-to-be matrimony, saying “Happy wife, happy life.”

It hasn’t been revealed if Brittany will appear on Season 14 of RHONJ, as she hasn’t quite had a breakout role on the show. However, Dolores will be returning full-time.

Season 14 of RHONJ has no official premiere date — but it is speculated to begin in early 2024.