Dolores Catania wanted to ‘throw things’ at Jennifer Aydin amid fight
Dolores Catania says she came close to a physical altercation with Jennifer Aydin during their heated fight on the Season 13 premiere of “Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
However, during a live taping of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast on Friday, the reality star, 52, explained how her boyfriend, Paul “Paulie” Connell, helped her stay calm.
“In that scene, [Connell] standing behind me and he put his hand on my back, and I wanted to throw things, I wanted to run out the door after her and I wanted to get my hands on her,” Catania told hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real .
She added, “It could have saved Jennifer’s life this season that I had someone.”
Connell agreed, “I think I actually saved Jennifer’s life.”
Dolores Catania says if it wasn’t for her boyfriend Paul Connell, she would have taken on Jennifer Aydin in their fight. Dave Allocca/StarPix Dolores Catania says if it wasn’t for her boyfriend Paul Connell, she would have gone after Jennifer Aydin in their fight. Dave Allocca/StarPix
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Dolores Catania says if it wasn’t for her boyfriend Paul Connell, she would have taken on Jennifer Aydin in their fight. Dave Allocca/StarPix
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Aydin, 45, called Catania a “f–king c–t” in last Thursday’s episode because she thought the former corrections officer had been a bad friend to her the previous year.
The stay-at-home mom thought Catania was guilty of “jumping[ing] skip” when their “RHONJ” co-star Margaret Josephs brought up her husband Bill Aydin’s infidelity in Season 12.
“You know what? You and I don’t agree on what a good friend is,” Catania said in her defense Thursday. “I’m nice. You’re not.”
Jennifer, meanwhile, continued to squeal with delight on her way out of the event, saying: “Fuck her, fk her, she looks like an old f-king handbag.”
Aydin accused Catania of not being a good friend on “RHONJ.” Getty Images Aydin accused Catania of not being a good friend on “RHONJ.” NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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Catania went on to explain on “Virtual Reali-Tea” why having a good partner helped her keep her cool since she no longer has the “weight of the world” on her shoulders.
“I’m divorced [for] 25 years and I raised two children alone, and I had a lot of responsibilities on my plate, and sometimes there was a lack of patience for things because of everything that I had on top of me,” shared the Bravolebrity.
“I have someone in my life who takes a lot of heat off camera [of] me about things.”
Catania has been dating Connell for over a year. Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
Catania started dating Connell at the end of 2021, and she previously told us about her Irish beau: “He’s a voice of reason, he’s very logical, he makes a lot of sense. He puts a lot of mind into it. He’s very, very funny and he’s very smart.”
Catania was previously married to Frank Catania, with whom she shares a son, Frankie Catania (24), and daughter, Gabrielle Catania (27).
She then met her longtime boyfriend, Dr. David Principe, dated, and the ups and downs of their relationship on “RHONJ.” They finally split in the summer of 2021.
“Real Housewives of New Jersey” airs Tuesdays at 9pm ET on Bravo. New episodes of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast are released on Thursdays.
