‘RHONJ’s Dina Manzo Celebrates Hubby’s Birthday After Ex’s Sentencing: ‘Phoenix From the Ashes’

The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Dina Cantin (formerly, Dina Manzo) had multiple reasons to celebrate on Thursday night (October 25), not the least of which was her husband Dave Cantin’s birthday, which came just days after her ex-husband Tommy Manzo was sentenced for ordering an attack on him.

On her Instagram stories, Dina Cantin shared a look at the lavish dinner party she and others attended for her husband’s big day, and her captions seemed to be a bit coded to not only relish the moment but also reflect on what the couple has been through over the last few years.

Alongside one image, for example, she wrote, “It is the story (celebration) of the phoenix rising from the ashes.” In another, the caption read, “We celebrated with soul family.” The former may be a nod to the fact that Dave is the survivor of an orchestrated attack carried out by a mafia hitman at the behest of Tommy Manzo in 2015, which is the crime for which he was sentenced. The second bit may be a nod to the fact that she and her sister and former co-star on the reality show Caroline Manzo now have a strained relationship after she served as a written character witness in Tommy Manzo’s trial.

These messages come just days after Dina Cantin’s daughter, Lexi Ioannou, wrote an essay breaking her decade of silence about Tommy Manzo’s conviction. In the piece, titled ” “Don’t Poke the Bear,” Ioannou revealed her perspective on her mother’s former marriage and the violent aftermath, writing, “Tommy’s rage continued to manifest into acts of unspeakable violence, beginning with a calculated physical attack in 2015, aimed squarely at my mother’s new husband. A spineless act of jealousy and retaliation. This was followed by a harrowing home invasion in 2017, an attempt to instill terror in both my mother and her husband.”

Manzo was recently sentenced to seven years in prison and three years post-release supervision after being convicted of hiring a member of the Lucchese Crime Family to attack Dave Cantin, who was then Dina’s boyfriend, in July 2015. The specific charges included one count of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, one count of conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering, and one count of falsifying and concealing documents related to a federal investigation. He was convicted in June of this year in a Newark federal court, and Caroline Manzo wrote a letter in support of him at trial.

Ioannou wrote that her aunt Caroline’s letter marked a “staggering betrayal” and added, “What could compel someone to form an alliance with a felon over their own blood?”

Dina Cantin previously responded to the matter of Tommy Manzo’s sentencing in an Instagram post in which she wrote, “So many layers … so much emotion. I’m leaning into all of it. Eventually I will speak on it, every bit of it. As I know, we humans ultimately are here to serve as assist others with their pain and suffering. Lots and lots of forgiveness of self and others right now. Lots of exploration and self reflection. Lots of self control to not send the text or make the call.”

When asked in comments section how her daughter was handling the news, and she responded, “She is working thru it. Thank goodness it’s not her biological father.”

She also informed another commenter that the legal issues with her ex are far from over, writing, “Unfortunately we still have the home invasion case. I wish it was over.” Indeed, Manzo still stands accused of a violent attack against the Cantins in their home in 2017 in which their home was invaded by two men who zip-tied them, hit Dave in the head with a baseball bat, and robbed the couple.

See screen captures of Dina Cantin’s Instagram stories and comment replies below.