'RHONJ' Star Dolores Catania Explains How Plastic Surgery Impacted Her Relationship With Dr. David Principe

Twitter | Dolores Catania

Dolores Cantina recently revealed that she went under the knife on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" and shortly thereafter, her boyfriend, Dr. David Principe, reacted badly to the news, telling her she “didn’t need” the operation.

During an appearance on the March 5 episode ofUs Weekly magazine's “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast, Catania looked back on her elective plastic surgery, noting that while she may not have needed a tummy tuck, it was something she wanted to do for herself.

“It’s not a matter of what I needed, it’s what I wanted," she stated. "I’m not about what somebody else thinks I need in my life. I’ve been through enough. He really was angry. He was so mad at me and he didn’t let up on it. I let him be mad for a little while and then I had to say, ‘Listen, you either live with it or we just have to move on.’ There has been some stress, family stress fractures in the relationship.”

Prior to her tummy tuck surgery, which resulted in a 25-pound weight loss, Catania underwent a number of other plastic surgery procedures, including a breast augmentation, a face lift, liposuction, and a Brazilian butt lift.

“If you’re a man in my life, no.1, you have to be sure enough with yourself to handle my relationship with my ex-husband. And you have to be man enough to be able to handle my personality, not that I’m strong," Catania continued to the magazine earlier this week.

According to Catania, she is willing to do a lot for the man in her life. However, she isn't willing to allow that man to conduct how she lives her own life. 

"I will do more for a guy, I’ll cook, I’ll clean, I’ll come home in a full gown and make you food at 10 o’clock, but don’t try to stop me from being who I am and doing what I want to do. And don’t try to get in between my family dynamics,” she shared.

While Catania and Dr. Principe spent plenty of time renovating his home together in recent years, Catania has not yet received an engagement ring from him and has refused to move in with him until she gets one. 

So, for now, as she pumps the breaks on the relationship, she's enjoying time at the Jersey Shore. 

To see more of Catania, Dr. Principe, and their co-stars, don't miss new episodes of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" season 11 on Wednesday nights at 9/8c on Bravo.