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Dolores Catania has found a new man to be “loyal and lovable” with.
After calling it quits with her boyfriend of four years, Dr. David Principe, this summer, the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, 50, has moved on with Paul Connell.
“They’re very happy together,” Catania’s lifelong pal Tom Murro exclusively told Page Six when asked about the relationship. “He’s a really nice guy. It’s pretty new, but you can tell that they make a great match.”
The veteran entertainment journalist, 55, added, “I couldn’t be happier for her. She deserves the best.”
Catania — who met Connell through a mutual friend — recently enjoyed a romantic vacation with her beau on the beaches of St. Martin. As seen in a photo shared via the Bravolebrity’s Instagram Story this weekend, the couple snapped a selfie while taking a stroll on the shoreline.
“My favorite lifeguard,” Catania captioned a pic of her and Connell.
In a black-and-white photo posted to her Story on Wednesday, the reality TV personality is seen embracing the New York City-based electrician around his neck.
An insider told us that the pair are “pretty much obsessed with each other” and “practically glued at the hip.”
This type of romance is likely a relief for Catania, who previously lamented that she and Principe, 57, hardly saw each other during their courtship — which, much to the dismay of her “RHONJ” co-stars, never included an engagement.
Catania repeatedly insisted on the show that she wasn’t worried about getting a ring from Principe; she just wanted his time.
“I don’t know if he knows how to be in a relationship, really,” she told Andy Cohen during the “RHONJ” Season 11 reunion earlier this year.
Both parties blamed his busy schedule as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for their lack of date nights in past episodes of “New Jersey.”
Still, Catania “grew tired of fighting for a relationship that he wasn’t prioritizing,” the insider said of her decision to call it quits with the doctor.
“She needed someone to love as hard as she does and who she can really connect with. She and Paul definitely have a type of chemistry that she’s never felt before.”
Most notably, the duo have been able to bond over their shared passion for philanthropy. Catania — who supports a number of causes, including animal welfare and domestic violence relief — has been charmed by Connell’s own charitable efforts.
“He’s really involved in giving back,” Murro told us. “He just donated a ton of toys to a kids’ charity in Patterson.”
Catania’s relationship with Connell won’t play out on “RHONJ” Season 12, as filming had wrapped before the two started dating.
However, viewers will see the “cracks starting to form” in her partnership with Principe, the insider noted. They were last photographed together in June at a Belmont Horse Race Track event when production was in full force.
“Dolores was sad to say goodbye to what she had with David,” the source said of the mom of two, who shares daughter Gabrielle, 26, and son Frankie, 23, with ex-husband Frank Catania.
“But the silver lining was definitely meeting Paul.”
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” Season 12 premieres Tues, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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