Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania is bragging about daughter Gabrielle “Gabby,” who made a rare appearance on the show this season.
Dolores shares the 25-year and 22-year-old Frankie Jr. with ex-husband Frank Catania, both of whom have been staples on RHONJ for years. But Gabby’s appearance was an unusual occurrence.
The passionate young veterinarian has been off studying in St. Kitts, which explains her absence from the show over the past few years.
In the latest episode, we caught a glimpse of Gabby after she returned home for a joint birthday celebration with brother Frankie Jr.
Fans were delighted to see Dolores with both her kids, especially since ex-husband Frank and boyfriend David Principe were in tow as well.
Dolores Catania is proud of Gabby
The RHONJ star had a recent chat with Page Six and she raved about Gabby.
The 50-year-old dished about the sweet moment we recently witnessed on the show when Gabby returned home for her birthday celebration.
“She just got back from Texas,” explained Dolores. “She did an internship at a shelter there. She came back with ringworm and scabies and I mean, I think she came back with a puppy caught in her hair. She doesn’t brush her hair, I don’t know!”
The always glamorous reality TV star shared that Gabby has a passion for animals and is very into nature and she could not be more proud of her.
“She’s got an amazing job waiting for her. She had a bunch of job offers because people know how good she is,” raved the proud mom. “I mean, Gabby’s interned in Africa working with anti-poacher reservations and she’s just a tough, strong woman. Puts me to shame. And like, if you think I’m tough, wait till you get to know her better.”
Dolores says she and Gabby are very different
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star admitted that she and Gabby are very different but the mom-of-two has embraced that.
“Gabrielle is so different from her mom since she was little,” noted Dolores. “I want to let a lot of moms know out there that if your daughter’s not like you, it’s okay.”
She continued, “Like, I wanted Gabby to wear Juicy sweatpants and be a cheerleader. And she had black nail polish and wore skulls on her clothes. She marched to a beat of her own drum — I had to let her be herself.”
Meanwhile, RHONJ viewers totally loved Gabby’s appearance on the show last week.
One particularly sweet moment was when Gabrielle complimented Dolores on her shirt and her mom offered to give it to her. Fans could not stop raving about the cute mother-daughter interaction.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.