Dolores Catania
Dolores Catania is an American television personality, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. She is best known as a main cast member of the reality tv show The Real Housewives of New Jersey, appearing in that capacity since the show's seventh season in 2016.
Early life
Catania was born in Paterson, New Jersey to Lawrence and Valerie Spagnola. Her father is a former Paterson Chief of Police and her mother is a homemaker. She has three sisters, Laura, Tonya, and Valerie "Val", and a brother, Louis. She is of Italian and Irish descent.Catania and her siblings were raised in Paterson along with her fellow Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Teresa Giudice and Giudice's cousin and former cast member Kathy Wakile.
In season 11 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Dolores revealed that her parents have remained happily married, despite living separately since her father became Paterson's Chief of Police.
Career
Prior to her television career, Catania had been employed as a waitress, shampoo girl, corrections officer, realtor, and surgical assistant. Outside of television, she owns a fitness franchise and continues to flip houses with her ex-husband. She is also an active philanthropist, supporting numerous charitable causes such as animal welfare and local relief efforts. She has also appeared in several independent projects, including Breaking Points and Around the Sun by Brad Forenza.Catania made several appearances on The Real Housewives of New Jersey during its early seasons before officially joining the main cast in the seventh season. Since joining the series, her storylines have primarily focused on her romantic life, relationship with her ex, motherhood, self-discovery, loyalty, and independence and since joining has been ranked as one of the most relatable housewives and was voted "Miss Congeniality" across the entire Real Housewives syndicate by Bravo fans in 2018.
In June 2024, Catania was announced as one of the competitors of the Peacock reality competition series, The Traitors for the third season, which premiered on January 9, 2025. She won the series as a "Faithful", alongside Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Gabby Windey, and Dylan Efron.
In November 2025, it was announced that Catania would be joining the debut season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island in a friend of capacity.
Personal life
Dolores married Frank Catania on September 16, 1994. The pair have two children, Gabrielle "Gaby" and Frank "Frankie" III. During her first season as Housewife, Catania disclosed that Frank had been unfaithful while she was nine months pregnant with Frankie, effectively ending their marriage.In 2017, she started dating maternal-fetal medicine specialist David Principe. The two were introduced by Catania's friend and former co-star Siggy Flicker. The couple announced their split in December 2021.
In 2021, she began dating Paul "Paulie" Connell, the Dublin-born father of two sons, whom she met in a line at an Apple Store. She moved into his home shortly after they began dating. In November 2025, Connell proposed to Catania in the same Apple Store where they first met.