It's been a tough few years for Teresa Giudice
The Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion on Wednesday ended in a celebration for host Andy Cohen, with the Jersey Housewives — Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jackie Goldschneider, and Jennifer Aydin — all showering Cohen with love over his then baby-to-be.
But earlier in the episode, there were tears as Teresa opened up to Cohen about the years of unhappiness she’s felt in her life since her and her husband Joe Giudice’s legal battles began.
“I want to be happy,” Teresa said. “I haven’t been happy in a long time. I’m tired of legal stuff! It’s a lot to deal with — my children, what’s going to happen to [Joe] … It’s a lot.”
Her revelation came after Teresa admitted she would leave Joe, should he get deported to Italy. “I’m not doing a long-distance relationship. I’m not doing it,” Teresa confessed. “I want somebody with me every day.”
“I know exactly what happens — I’m sure he’ll be with other women. It happens,” she added. “You do the long-distance thing, it’s not going to work. I’d be like, ‘Bye-bye.’ “
Joe’s apparently on the same page. “We hate to talk about it,” Teresa said. “Believe it or not we’ve only talked about it once, but he said it too. ‘Obviously if that happens, I’m going to move on with my life, you’re going to move on with your life.’ And that’s what’s going to happen.”
It’s been a tough road for Joe and Teresa, both 46.
The couple — who have been married since 1998 and share daughters Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 10 — has remained by one another’s side through their legal problems, which first sent Teresa to prison for 11 months on mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud charges (she was released on Dec. 23, 2015) before Joe began his sentence for the same crimes in March 2016.
That support has appeared to cross over to Joe’s deportation ruling, which came in October. Even though Joe has lived in the United States since he was a child, he never obtained American citizenship, and immigrants can be deported if they are convicted of “a crime of moral turpitude” or an “aggravated felony,” according to U.S. law. Joe’s lawyers appealed the decision in November, but are still waiting for a ruling. He is expected to be released from prison later this month.
Even though Teresa said she and Joe would divorce if he moves, she told Cohen at the reunion that, “I’m sticking by him to the end.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. But to get deported? That’s so sad,” Teresa said. “He’s been here since he’s a year old. And he did his time. So I’m doing everything I can. I’m spending all this money. I’m appealing it. Whatever has to be done, I’m doing it. I’ll fight to the end. I’m doing it.”
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As loyal as she’s been, there have been rumors floating around that Teresa has already stepped out on Joe. In February, the reality star was caught holding hands with Blake Schreck, a realtor who is 20 years her junior.
Giudice family attorney James Leonard Jr. denied the affair to PEOPLE, saying the two were just friends and that their interactions were brief and completely amicable. (“There is no cheating, no divorce,” he said. “End of story.”) But Cohen still asked Teresa directly if she had been faithful in Joe’s absence — a question she answered swiftly with a “yes.”
“[I could have divorced him] when it first happened,” Teresa said.
Instead, she’s taken her sexual frustrations out somewhere else: on her vibrator. “I have my LeLo,” Teresa joked. “I admit it, I do have one. It’s a beautiful thing, I have to say. It really is.”