RHONJ's Teresa Giudice Says She 'Never Thought Fame and Money Would Ruin Our Family and It Did'
Teresa Giudice is thankful that the family drama with her brother Joe Gorga is in the past.
Teresa, 47, tells PEOPLE that there is currently “no family drama” between herself, her brother and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, referring back to early seasons of Real Housewives of New Jersey when the relatives seemed to be constantly fighting.
“That was all nonsense,” Teresa says now of their old fights, speaking with PeopleTV’s Reality Check. “I don’t even want to remember that. That was like a sad time in our lives.”
“I never thought fame and money would ruin our family, and it did,” Teresa said.
Melissa has also spoken about how the fighting between the two women years ago was a “very, very negative” experience for both of them.
“In the beginning it was super hard because it was basically Melissa against Teresa and it was very hard,” Melissa told PEOPLE in November 2018. “We were at each other’s throats and the whole experience was very, very negative. It was a divided show. It was a horrible, horrible time in our lives.”
The drama was featured on RHONJ when Melissa joined the reality series and Teresa, her now-estranged husband Joe Giudice and brother Joe had arguments. The siblings were driven apart by the fighting, and a wedge grew between Teresa and Melissa as well.
They all decided to bury the hatchet, however, after Teresa returned home from her 11-month prison sentence for bank, mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud back in December 2015.
Now, Teresa says that she and her brother are closer than ever.
“We only have each other, and I mean, I adore him,” she said on Reality Check.
Teresa also shared her thoughts on her estranged husband’s recent partying in Mexico with several bikini-clad women.
“I’m happy for him,” she added. “Party on.”
PEOPLE exclusively confirmed the couple’s split in December 2019. The duo share four daughters: Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11.
“They agreed that each had to move on,” an insider told PEOPLE at the time. “They are doing so amicably and very slowly. Joe has been out on a few dates, Teresa has not. She has been too busy with the girls, with work obligations and taking care of her father. She is happy for Joe. They have been very friendly with one another and are very supportive of each other’s happiness. They still love one another, but … neither is interested in a long distance relationship.”
Joe moved to Italy in October to await his final pending appeal to a judge’s deportation order.
