Paul “Paulie” Connell, the longtime boyfriend of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania, is recovering and in good spirits after undergoing a life-saving cardiac procedure that doctors say may have prevented a far more dangerous outcome. The 48-year-old businessman, who has quietly battled heart rhythm problems for nearly a decade, finally received a definitive diagnosis — and now, after a successful catheter ablation, he’s looking forward to a future no longer shaped by fear.

For years, Connell suffered unexplained episodes of rapid heartbeat and dangerous rhythm spikes that were initially assumed to be atrial fibrillation. Despite multiple emergency room trips and consultations with different cardiologists, answers remained elusive. Catania, 51, says the uncertainty weighed heavily on both of them.

“Over the past eight years, Paul has suffered with an irregular heartbeat assumed to be atrial fibrillation,” the RHONJ star explains. “Recently, it was confirmed as SVT — supraventricular tachycardia — and then he was officially diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It’s a very dangerous condition.”

WPW syndrome is a rare congenital heart defect characterized by an extra electrical pathway that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast. According to experts, the condition has been linked to sudden cardiac death in both children and adults. For Connell, the condition explained years of unexplained panic, abnormal rhythms, and the constant anxiety that physical activity might trigger something catastrophic.

Catania says the breakthrough came only after Connell saw the right specialist: cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Robert Altman, who identified the extra pathway and recommended a catheter ablation to correct it. The procedure, performed at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey, was a success — and video taken moments afterward shows Connell relieved, smiling, and even joking.

From his hospital bed, Connell urged others to take symptoms seriously. “Please get your heart checked out,” he said. “A couple of visits and a quick little procedure like today could give you a longer life to spend with this beautiful woman and your family.”

Connell later told Page Six that the operation has already changed his outlook. “I’m definitely feeling a lot better this week than I was last week,” he said, crediting Catania — whom he lovingly calls the “best nurse” — for pushing him to stop ignoring his symptoms and finally get answers.

“The last eight years of my life have been poorer quality than what they should have been because I stopped doing stuff in fear that it would impact my heart,” he explained. “I was anxious all the time. But Dolores pushed me to get this checked out. She took control, and I was basically a passenger. Because of her, I’m really optimistic about the future.”

That optimism extends to Connell’s family as well. The father of two — sons Cameron, 20, and Brooklyn, 17 — says breaking the news to them was emotional. Catania, drawing on her years as a surgical assistant and her natural role as a caretaker, helped him guide the conversation.

“They were very scared when I told them,” Connell recalls. “Dolores sat them down and softened the message. You could see the emotion in their faces, but by the end, they felt confident that Dad was going to be okay — and that Dolores would be beside me.”

His diagnosis also revealed another urgent issue: the medication he had been prescribed for years was not appropriate for WPW and may have contributed to side effects, including weight gain and water retention. Catania says correcting the misdiagnosis was crucial and that Connell is already doing better with proper treatment and the ablation behind him.

“We found out he wasn’t taking the correct medicine for what he actually had,” she says. “It caused weight gain, water retention, and other mild symptoms that can be dangerous. Now he’s on the right path, and he’s doing really well.”

Connell will return to Dr. Altman next month for a follow-up, where he hopes to learn that he can stop all unnecessary medication and resume a normal, active life. “When I see Dr. Altman in four weeks, I’m hopeful he’ll tell me that my life can go back to normal,” he says. “After that, it’s just an EKG every couple of months.”

Catania, meanwhile, is relieved and grateful. “Still small steps,” she says, “but his medical team is convinced they corrected the issue. This could have been addressed years ago, and I’m glad he finally listened to me. I need Paulie, my love, around.”

The Bravolebrity also praised Hackensack Hospital’s staff and thanked Dr. Altman for identifying what so many others had missed. As filming for RHONJ Season 13 continues, Connell is expected to make an appearance — now healthy, hopeful, and with a renewed appreciation for life and the partner who refused to let him ignore his symptoms.

“Men seem to think they’re invincible,” Connell says quietly. “But when I lay on that hospital bed, I realized I wasn’t. I needed her.”