Credit: Nancy Rivera/INSTARimages
Dolores Catania is looking back on the home invasion she and her now-fiancé, Paul “Paulie” Connell, experienced last month.
As the 54-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey star revealed she’s choosing peace as she nears 55, reflected on her childhood struggles, and addressed her plastic surgeries, Dolores spoke of the botched robbery that took place after she and Paulie “posted that [they] were not home.”
“That was our mistake. People looked at our Instagram and decided it was a good day to break in,” she revealed to OK! Magazine on November 24.
Luckily, she continued, “The cops were here in less than two minutes.”
As she recalled the terrifying break-in, Dolores admitted to feeling “dumb” about her post.
“How am I feeling? Dumb that I posted we weren’t home — and lucky nothing happened,” she shared.
According to Dolores, it is important to “lock your doors” and “don’t post in real time.”
“And honestly a good pit bull is the best deterrent,” she added.
Looking ahead to her upcoming year, Dolores said her mindset is “peace.”
“I’m going to be 55. I’m looking forward to what brings peace in my life because there’s no price for peace. Don’t waste your time on things that don’t serve you. Know your worth,” she declared. “[I want] to mentor young women and help them through this part of life because menopause is very debilitating and there’s not enough information.”
Though Dolores is in a good place today, she struggled as a misunderstood child.
“I have dyslexia. I was put in special needs classes and called stupid. I only got over my fear of speaking a few years ago,” Dolores shared. “I diagnosed myself later in life. But both of my kids are successful — one’s a veterinarian and one’s in finance — so I must’ve done something right.”
As for her facelift work, Dolores told fans not to “beat [themselves] up over what [they] look like as [they] age.”
“You have to meet yourself where you’re at. I’m very honest about having some facelift work done — but even if you haven’t, you have to embrace who you are,” she encouraged.
Dolores Catania will be featured on the debut season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, which is expected to premiere on Bravo in early 2026.