Real Housewives of New Jersey star Frank Catania is engaged to girlfriend Brittany Mattessich 25 years after his split from ex-wife Dolores Catania.
“We’re Engaged!!!! 💎🤍 I’m so excited to start this next chapter with you along with all the other good things we have going on,” Mattessich announced via Instagram on Sunday, October 29. “Thankyou for being you & making me the happiest girl in the world. I wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone else other then @frank.catania.sr 🤍🤍 love you so much my fiancé 🤍🤍🤍”
In the snaps, Mattessich showed off the giant diamond ring she received from Frank, 58, as they shared a kiss. The Bravo personality proposed in front of a flower wall covered in red roses, which was also adorned with a sign that read, “Will you marry me?”
Frank’s relationship with his now-fiancée was on and off for years, but they finally made things official in May 2022 before he got down on one knee.
While Mattessich has appeared on RHONJ through the years, Frank is more often seen on the reality show alongside his ex-wife, Dolores, 52.
Dolores and Frank were married from 1994 to 1998 and share two kids: Gabby, 28, and Frank Jr., 25. Both RHONJ stars have been candid about their divorce, revealing that Frank’s infidelity led to the downfall of their marriage.
Despite calling it quits, the exes have stayed close over the years — and have even made headlines for living together post-split.
“Everybody wants us to be together. We are together, we really are. We never separated, even though we got the divorce, which I hope I could write about someday so that people can understand that you could still have a relationship with someone,” Dolores told Us Weekly exclusively in May 2021 about her untraditional relationship with Frank. “Life is constantly changing, no matter what happens.”
Frank isn’t the only one who’s found love again. Fans watched Dolores’ relationship with David Principe play out on RHONJ before they split in 2021. She has since moved on with boyfriend Paul Connell.
Dolores made her romance with Connell Instagram official in February 2022, and while they seemed blissfully in love, Frank admitted that he was “not on the best of terms” with his ex-wife’s new man.
“Paul is not used to the dynamic between Dolores and me,” Frank told Us in October 2022. “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.”
Dolores’ new relationship was “hard” for Frank because it changed the dynamic between himself and his ex-wife. (Frank got emotional about the shift in their relationship during an episode of RHONJ which aired in March.)
“It’s a transition and he doesn’t like change. He’s taking it personal, and he is hurt. I don’t wanna see him hurt,” Dolores told Us in March. “Then I’m mad, don’t make me feel guilty right now, just go along with this for me. I’ve always been there for everybody. Just let me enjoy somebody who is giving me a lot of attention. Paul wants to be so much a part of my life and he’s so good about it and I’m enjoying my time here.”
