RHONJ’s Frank Catania isn’t on the ‘best’ terms with Dolores’ BF Paul

Tensions in New Jersey? Frank Catania he described his relationship with his ex-wife in detail Dolores Cataniaher boyfriend Paul Connell — and admitted that things weren’t always rosy.

“We’re not on the best of terms because Paul isn’t used to the dynamic between Dolores and me,” The Real Housewives of New Jersey told exclusively by the star Us Weekly on Friday, October 14, at BravoCon in New York. “If you spend more time with Dolores and me, you’ll see that you have nothing to worry about, right? I love her. I will always love her. I always take care of her.”

The New Jersey native and his ex-wife, 51, called it quits in 1998 after four years of marriage. The duo share daughter Gabby (27) and son Frankie (24). Despite their split, the duo have remained super close over the years, with Frank appearing in numerous films. RHONJ.

Dolores, for her part, went Instagram official with Connell in February after a few months of dating. Although the Irish native initially had trouble adjusting to his girlfriend’s friendly relationship with her ex-husband, Frank noticed that the relationship between the two was starting to improve.

“He’s gotten better, we’ve spent a lot more time together and I think he’s gotten a lot more comfortable,” Frank said Us on Friday. “Any tension that existed before, I feel is gone. … When I see him, now we hug.”

Frankie, however, still thinks there is little difference between his father and Connell. “I don’t know how great of a fit he is with my dad, and I’m just being honest here,” the Sacred Heart University graduate exclusively said. Us on Friday. “They both have very masculine alpha personalities, you know? So I don’t think they gel perfectly.”

Still, despite that “conflict,” Frankie believes the duo will eventually learn to get along. “They work out the differences,” he explained. “They’re both amazing people, so they somehow find a way through it.”

During a RHONJ panel at BravoCon on Saturday, October 15, Frank told the audience that he, Connell and Dolores occasionally have dinner together. “He’s a very cool guy, he’s nice, he’s very masculine,” Frank explained. “Even though he’s from Ireland, he reminds me of the guys I grew up with.”

However, when fans noticed that Dolores was wearing a large ring on her left hand, she quickly clarified that it was not an engagement ring. “I’ll replace him!” the reality star joked and added that people had been asking her about it all weekend.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi