Dolores Catania at BravoCon 2023.Photo:Gabe Ginsberg/Getty
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty
The blood feuds in the upcoming season ofThe Real Housewives of New Jerseyhave affectedDolores Cataniain ways she didn’t expect.
While speaking to PEOPLE atBravoCon 2023over the weekend, the reality star, 52, explained why filming season 14 of the hit Bravo show was especially hard this year.
“It’s so crazy, it’s crazy. It’s a lot. It was even a lot for me,” she confessed, noting how she usually isn’t the type of person to ever get emotional. “You didn’t see it. I’m not telling anybody really, but there was a point where I got a little choked up once.”
“The hate that I saw, and the hard feelings I saw and the fighting was so deep, it ran so deep,” she continued, seemingly referencing the drama between fellow housewives and sister-in-laws,Teresa GiudiceandMelissa Gorga.
“I want what we had in Ireland,” she added, referring to the cast’s season 13 trip to Dublin, before joking, “I call it the last supper.”
‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ cast from left: Rachel Fuda, Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, Jennifer Aydin, and Danielle Cabral.Andrew Eccles/Bravo
Andrew Eccles/Bravo
As fans know, last season ofRHONJwas heavily focused on theGorga/Giudice family feud. Years of misunderstandings plus business dealings between Giudice’s now-husbandLuis “Louie” Ruelasand her brotherJoe Gorgahad put a strain on their relationship. Despite their attempts to repair their relationships, the divide between them only grew as the season progressed.
Later in the season, Giudice, 51, and Ruelas, 48, met with Joe behind Melissa’s back to tell him about rumors of her infidelity — claims that Melissa hascalled “baseless” and vehemently denied. In the end, Joe and Melissa decided not to attend Giudice and Ruelas' wedding after things came to a breaking point.
Melissa, 44,addressed the ongoing drama at BravoCon, saying she had no regrets about cutting Giudice and Ruelas out of their lives.
“I’ve come to a point in my life where, you know, you can try, you can try, you can try, but at some point you need to protect your peace and you need to create a boundary and I think that’s what I did and that’s what we’re doing,” she explained during part one of theRHONJpanel on Saturday. “I think, you know, when something is really toxic and it doesn’t work for you and it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t need to force yourself to be around it. It’s okay to let something go. I am protecting my peace.”
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“I think the fans will feel refreshed as well. I mean, weren’t you sick of it?” she asked the crowd, who erupted into cheers. “It’s so much to describe right now but I think everyone knows where we’re at. Everyone’s reading it. I think it’s, like I said, we’re at a place of peace. I think everyone needs a minute. Everyone needs a break and there’s just a period on it right now.”
Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga.Gotham/WireImage
Joe, 43, was also asked about the family tension during the panel, with one fan asking him why he thinks his sister continues to pick fights with them.
In response, Joe simply said: “I’m always gonna say I am a brother and I am a man, and I really wish the family would come together. What I want is the best. I have two parents in heaven and I would love for us to come together.”
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Giudice, however, had a different perspective on the situation. Asked during Sunday’sRHONJpart two panel aboutwhether she’d reconcile with her brother, Giudice said: “Listen, my parents are not here anymore. So no.”
“First of all, I’m living this journey and I’m all about family and respect and trust,” she continued. “Sorry. That chapter is closed with my brother unfortunately. It really is.”
source: people.com
