Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Although Frank and Dolores Catania divorced over 20 years ago, their friendship remains strong. So strong, in fact, that it’s actually an issue in some of their romantic relationships on Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Both exes are now dating other people. In the past, Frank suggested that Dolores’ current boyfriend Paul Connell is an alpha — comparable to Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear.
In an interview with Us Weekly at BravoCon, Frank shared that his relationship with Paul isn’t perfect.
“We’re not on the best of terms because Paul is not used to the dynamic between Dolores and me,” he explained. “If you spend more time with Dolores and me, you get to see there’s nothing to worry about, right? I love her. I will always love her. I always take care of her.”
The men’s relationship, however, is on a better track.
“He’s gotten better, and we’ve spent a much more time together and I think he’s gotten much more comfortable,” said the star. “Any tension that was there before, I feel it’s gone. … When I see him, we hug now.”
His son Frankie has a slightly different take.
“I don’t know how great he fits in with my dad, and I’m just being honest here,” said the 24-year-old. “They both have very manly alpha personalities, you know? So, I don’t think they gel perfectly.”
In spite of their “clashing,” Frankie thinks the men will be able to work it out someday. “They’re settling the differences,” he said. “They are both amazing people, so they’re kind of finding their way through that.”
At the conference, the father of two shared that he, Dolores, and Paul eat dinner together sometimes. “He’s a very cool guy, he’s nice, he’s very manly,” said Frank. “Even though he’s from Ireland, he reminds me of the kind of guys I grew up with.”
After viewers pointed out that Dolores is wearing a ring now, the Housewife denied being engaged. “I’m gonna switch it!” she said jokingly, and she explained she’s been asked that a lot.
At a “Let Me Tell You Something About Our Families” panel, Dolores was also asked about potentially moving in with Paul.
“I already do,” she revealed. According to Dolores, they began cohabitating “last December.”
“Paulie wanted that,” she said, and she quipped that she just “stayed there [and] never left.”
Dolores told PEOPLE that Paul is a good support system, and he “is very hands-on in my life.”
“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.'”
“And as independent as I am and never needed that, I had never heard somebody say that. So I kind of melted,” said Dolores. “It just kind of broke down a little wall that I always had of being this tough girl.”
In a different panel, Frank said he and Paul have “come a long, long way. I never had problem with Paulie, all I wanted him to do was be around Dolores and I at the same time so he could see that our relationship is not something for us to worry about. Now he sees, I’ll do anything for her.”