Who Is Dolores Catania's Boyfriend? All About Paul “Paulie” Connell

Dolores Catania and Paulie Connell began dating in 2021

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania has found "real love."

Catania and Paul “Paulie” Connell made their relationship Instagram official on Valentine's Day 2022, after dating privately for a few months. Since then, the couple have gotten more serious and have even moved in with each other.

"He's always complimenting me. He wants to make my life better. And when I had first met him, he told me that's what he wanted. When he came into my life, he goes, 'I know you're very independent, but I want to be a part of your stuff, so let me,' " Catania told PEOPLE of Connell.

She added, "As independent as I am and never needed that, I had never heard somebody say that. So I kind of melted."

Connell has also made several appearances on the hit Bravo reality show, with the 13th season featuring his thoughts on Catania’s close relationship with ex-husband Frank Catania, as well as lighter moments, like him posing in a silly costume for a charity calendar with the other New Jersey Househusbands.

So, who is Dolores Catania's boyfriend? Keep reading to learn more about Paul "Paulie" Connell and his relationship with the Bravo star.

He’s from Ireland

Connell was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. While he has been living in the U.S. for a long time now, he still has a lot of family in Ireland, and the couple have traveled to his home country together.

“Love you ireland 🇮🇪 from castles to cottages ,amazing food and soo much fun !! A beautiful Country , beautiful people the biggest hearts 🥰 Looking forward to a real housewives of Dublin ☘️," Catania captioned a photo of her and Connell visiting Ireland in February 2022.

The pair returned to Ireland a few months later with the rest of Catania's costars for the season 13 cast trip, which she organized.

In an October 2022 interview with PEOPLE, Catania shared that she finds Connell's background and upbringing surprisingly similar to hers.

"He's a very cool guy, he's nice, he's very manly. He reminds me of the kind of guys I grew up with. His family is a lot like mine," she said.

He’s an entrepreneur

Connell is the owner of Eco Electrical Services. According to his LinkedIn page, the business is a “high-end electrical contracting company” based in New York City.

Prior to starting Eco Electrical Services, Connell worked at All-Star Electrical Services from 2001 to 2010, where he focused on strategic consulting, logistics and overseeing various projects.

He’s a father

Like Catania, Connell is a parent. He has two sons, Kameron and Brooklyn, whom he occasionally shares photos of on social media. On National Sons Day in September 2022, he wrote next to a photo of his sons: “September 28th is not the only day you appreciate your son’s but it’s definitely a day you get to brag a little more if you like 😉just so proud of the achievements that my boys are accomplishing and the kindness that they show ✌️.”

Catania — who herself shares daughter Gabrielle and son Frankie with her ex-husband — commented on the post, “They are All this and more ❤️ You raised Two amazing men.”

He and Catania met in a serendipitous way

During a February 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Catania said that she and Connell were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend following her breakup with David Principe.

“She was like, ‘Oh, you should meet my friend, he’s a cool dude,’ ” Catania said. “I go, ‘But I’m not that cool.' ”

As for Connell, in a November 2022 Instagram post, he shared that they met at an Apple Store.

“I met this amazing woman in this photograph over a year ago, we met at an Apple store, no cameras no fans no crowds no make up just two people waiting online [sic] to get their phones fixed,” Connell wrote in part. “When I met this beautiful woman I didn’t know about reality TV celebrity status or any of the above, oh boy but I do now lol.”

Catania responded in the comments, calling him “amazing” and adding, “PS . I was never so glad my phone broke.”

The couple shared more details about their meet-cute during a joint appearance on the Up and Adam! podcast in March 2023. Catania said that they were set up on the date but happened to run into each other at the Apple Store three days before the date because both of their phones broke. They then went to Panera together for lunch, where they talked for hours.

He and Catania live together

At BravoCon in October 2022, Catania shared that she and Connell had moved in together the previous December.

"Paulie wanted that,” she explained, jokingly adding that she just “stayed there" and "never left."

Connell’s modern home also got Catania’s costars' stamp of approval when they visited during an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey, per Bravotv.com.

"My god, this place is gorgeous," remarked Jennifer Aydin.

Related:Dolores Catania Reveals She's Living with Boyfriend Paulie Connell: 'He Wants to Make My Life Better'

He regularly appears on 'Real Housewives of New Jersey'

Connell began appearing regularly on RHONJ during season 13, which premiered in February 2023. He was shown taking part in a photo shoot for a charity calendar in which all of the Housewives’ partners stripped down or wore costumes. Connell wore a vest with four-leaf clovers on it and posed while mixing a cocktail behind a bar. The show also documented Connell’s experience undergoing heart surgery.

Connell has been shown talking to Catania about her relationship with her ex-husband Frank as well. The former couple are very close, and Frank has been a cast member on the show for years. He even lived with Principe, Catania's ex-boyfriend. Connell did not want to have as close of a relationship with Frank as Principe did, which he made clear.

He’s very supportive of Catania

Connell is vocal in his support of Catania, including when it comes to her role on the show.

In February 2023, he posted a series of images of Catania on Instagram and wrote in the caption, “When you get to see your boo 🥰between photo shoots, filming, interviews, and being a #boss #lady #dolorescatania #you #be #up so excited for your new stuff that’s coming I’m happy to be a part of watching you evolve.”

That April, he gave his girlfriend a sweet shout-out for taking the lead when it came to the cast trip to Ireland.

“Well done @dolorescatania you pulled it off, and getting everybody to come together to go away on a group trip especially, and above all you made it happen in Ireland ☘️” he wrote on Instagram alongside a clip from the show. “So proud of you 🤗 so proud of you showing off our little country, but as you all know, it didn’t happen without some cheer, a bit of jeer and of course some tears 😭.”

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