Teresa Giudice Vows to Avoid 'Toxicity' in 2023 After 'Painful' Family Feud Marred Wedding Day
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Teresa Giudice is leaving negativity in her past.
As The Real Housewives of New Jersey star looks ahead to 2023, she tells PEOPLE she hoping to avoid one thing in the new year: "Toxicity, definitely toxicity."
In order to achieve her resolution, Teresa and her husband Luis "Louie" Ruelas say they're doing a burning ceremony with some friends.
"I've done a lot of work on myself as a man, and so a lot of guys I'm around, they're like, 'Wow, you talk differently, you say this differently,' and so some guys want to know what that's all about," Louie shares. "We're going to go to a place where there's a little fire, and everyone's going to have pieces of paper, and we're going to write down some things we want to let go of in 2022, burn it and let it go, walk away holding hands, don't look back."
"You leave behind, and then literally don't look back," he explains. "It kind of cleans out your mental storage, cleans out what's of the forefront of your mind, really."
Teresa adds, "And you can manifest what you want in 2023. We've done that before ... I just want peace, love, happiness and health. Life is short, it's very valuable, so you have to value the time that you have on this Earth and surround yourself with good people, good vibes, people that are happy for you. It's really important, and especially my children, I want them to see that also."
"I just want to have a great time," she says. "'Cause being in this world, you get used and abused, and Louie, he's new at it, so it's like I'm protecting him from all that. I've been doing this for a while now, and so, I know the games, I know everything that comes along with it, unfortunately."
Jill Zarin/Instagram; Brian Ach/Getty for Republic Records Teresa Giudice (left) with Joe and Melissa Gorga (right)
Teresa and Louie's resolutions for 2023 come after a tumultuous year in which Teresa and her brother Joe Gorga's ongoing family feud carried over to season 12 of RHONJ. The drama between the siblings hit a breaking point in August when Joe and his wife Melissa Gorga notably skipped Teresa and Louie's wedding.
PEOPLE previously confirmed that the Gorgas wouldn't be attending the fesitivities, though questions as to just what happened remained up in the air at the time.
Two sources later told PEOPLE exclusively told PEOPLE that Joe and Melissa had been planning on attending the wedding up until two days prior, when false rumors about their marriage surfaced as the cameras rolled (a moment hinted at in the RHONJ season 13 trailer). Teresa's role in the chatter and Louie's behavior amid their back-and-forth ultimately changed the Gorgas' minds.
"Teresa betrayed them in a way that's unforgivable," one source said. "They're not going to celebrate Teresa's new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs."
The newlyweds ended up tying the knot in front of 220 guests at the Park Chateau Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Teresa's four daughters — Gia, 21; Gabriella, 18; Milania, 16, and Audriana, 13, whom she shares with her ex-husband Joe — were all by their mom's side, as were Louie's two sons, Louie Jr., 19, and Nicholas, 21, from his previous relationship.
Jenna Russo, Silent Capture Photography & Videography, @silentcapturephoto Teresa Giudice and Louie Ruelas
RELATED: A Complete Timeline of Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga's Feud
Speaking to PEOPLE about the feud with her brother and sister-in-law, which is expected to play out on the upcoming season of RHONJ, Teresa says the drama is nothing new for her.
"Since my family came on the show, it was very hard for me to enjoy being on TV. It happened [in the] third season. Here I am, just getting my feet wet, enjoying it and then bam. I get knocked, really stabbed in the heart with my family coming on the show behind my back," she explains. "The reason why I still talk about it now, and it's been 10 years, is because it was very traumatic."
"I come from a small family and we were really close. And then for something like this to happen, it was really hard for me to deal with," she continues. "I always tried to keep the peace and that's why I kept my mouth shut for a lot of years... because my parents, they lived for me and my brother ... for anything bad to happen afterwards, it's heartbreaking. No parents want to see their children fighting."
"But now, unfortunately my parents are not here anymore," she adds. "So I'm going to do what's good for my family, good for me, good for my children. And I just want peace. And that's why any toxicity, [I have to] keep it out, unfortunately."
Notes Louie, "To see the closest people around [her] have been gaslighters and manipulators. I've heard it firsthand and it's actually disgusting. Even some of the men on that show may have come after me because they know that I ain't going to stay quiet ... the dog's going to come start biting. I'm not going to take your s--- anymore. You all play these games with her, right? And now she's got a man in her life that's not going to let you do that anymore."
Jenna Russo, Silent Capture Photography & Videography, @silentcapturephoto Teresa Giudice
With the Bravo series' new season — Teresa's 13th — approaching in February, the RHONJ OG and mom of four acknowledges filming was particularly difficult this time around.
"It was really hard for me because, of course, I lived it and it's very painful," she says. "So to me, it was very hard, because this is a time that we're getting married and it's supposed to be the best time of my life."
"You're going to have to watch to see how it plays out, but it was a very hard season for me. Very painful," she admits. "I'm just saying, it's hard to be on a reality show with your family. It's not something I signed up for."
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Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
