Dolores Catania may be loving her newfound freedom at the moment, but when it comes to a potential proposal from her boyfriend, Dr. David Principe, she may not give her beau a hard “no.”
Following episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey this season, which saw discussions about David’s lack of commitment, Dolores explained what it would take to accept a proposal from David before admitting it is her ex-husband, Frank Catania, who she believes is her “forever person.”
“I would give it a lot of really deep thought and there would be things about him that I would ask if he can compromise [like] more time… Because if I’m going to now have that commitment [and] we’re going to be in this type of relationship, then we spend more time together,” Dolores explained of an engagement to David on an episode of Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap.
While many have questioned David’s commitment issues both on and off the show, Dolores, who admitted on Wednesday’s show that David is emotionally unavailable, believes her boyfriend is simply a “late bloomer.”
“He’s going to come out of his shell and this is a great guy who’s going to be a great something. I see a lot of potential in him. Will I reach that potential with him? I don’t know. But I see a lot of good in him,” she explained, adding that David is “not the best boyfriend, clearly.”
When Dolores was then asked if she believed David was her “forever person,” she admitted she was unsure before naming her ex.
“Frank’s my forever person but we’re not married anymore. David may someday be a forever person in my life but not as the person he is now,” she confirmed. “If I break up with David, you will see it took me so much to get to that point that there’s no coming back in that way. I’m so done with you that I could be your friend and that’s why they’re all still in my life.”
As for a reconciliation with Frank, Dolores made it clear that that ship has sailed.
“In that way, no. I feel like a divorce saved our marriage in a sense that we are everything to each other but not intimate like that. It’s been so far gone,” she shared.
During the premiere episode of RHONJ, fans watched as David expressed frustration after learning Dolores had gone under the knife for an elective procedure without telling him ahead of time. Looking back, Dolores still believes that he had no right to know.
“Guess what, Dave? I don’t have that commitment. Are you telling me everything you’re doing? Then I’m going to do my thing. If you want to pull in the reigns on me, then we’ll go to the next step. But for now, if you’re not going to do that, I’m going to do this,” she said, doubling down on her decision to move forward without him.
Dolores also addressed the moment in the latest episode where she was seen having a blowout with Joe Gorga, who referred to her as a “broken woman,” as her castmates questioned her relationship with David.
Speaking of the incident, Dolores said, “If you are close to me in my life, you have a right to an opinion and that’s who I am. I share my life with my friends. So with that mentality, I have to accept their opinions but there’s boundaries to everything.”
“I’m big on respect,” she added.
Real Housewives of New Jersey Live Viewing – This is also the live viewing thread for tonight’s new episode of RHONJ season 11, which airs at 9/8c on Bravo. As the episode airs, please feel free to share your thoughts in the chat below.
Photo Credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto
