Teresa Giudice reflected on her time spent in prison and admitted she staged her release photos.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 51, recalled being released after serving nearly a year in prison on fraud-related charges in 2015, and revealed that she planned her exit snaps.
‘They wanted the first photo and I did it,’ she said on an episode of the Hollywood Raw Podcast on Wednesday.
‘I was like, “If they’re going to get it anyway, so I might as well make money off of it”,’ she told podcast hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn about the snaps obtained by PEOPLE.
The reality TV personality — who got emotional while recalling her story of pleading guilty and serving nearly a year in prison during season 13 of the Bravo series released last year — also noted that it was the only time she ever staged paparazzi photos.
Teresa Giudice reflected on her time spent in prison and admitted she staged her infamous prison release photos; seen in November 2023
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 51, recalled being released after nearly a year in prison on fraud-related charges in 2015, and revealed she planned her exit snaps; seen in a still from the show on the day of her release
She spent 11 months behind bars — after being sentenced to 15 months in addition to probation and fines — for charges relating to her ex-husband Joe Giudice’s bankruptcy fraud.
After her release, the former contractor, 51, then served three years in prison after the pair were indicted on federal fraud charges in July 2013.
Teresa and Joe were accused of exaggerating their income while applying for loans and hiding their fortune in their bankruptcy filing.
Recalling her time in prison, she also praised the ‘beautiful grounds’ at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut and said that the food was ‘really good’.
The year after her release, she detailed her memorable experience in prison in her memoir, Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again.
Teresa and Joe announced their separation and filed for divorce following his release in March 2019 and deportation to Italy.
During the podcast, she also said she is now friends with her ex-husband and has finally forgiven him for putting her in a situation which landed her in prison and took time away from her family.
‘It took a long time for me to forgive him because then I lost my parents,’ she explained. ‘I came home, I lost my mom eight months later.
She previously spent 11 months behind bars — after being sentenced to 15 months in addition to probation and fines — for charges relating to her ex-husband Joe Giudice’s bankruptcy fraud. After her release, the former contractor, 51, then served three years in prison after the pair were indicted on federal fraud charges in July 2013; seen in October 2015
They had been married for 20 years and welcomed four children together before their split; seen in March 2016
‘And then my dad moved in with us and he was so upset,’ she continued. ‘He cried for a year straight after my mother passed away, and then I had my dad with us for three years, and then he passed away.
‘They were the best parents ever,’ she said, adding that her mother was a ‘saint’, who ‘just lived for me and my brother [Joe Gorga]’.
She recalled feeling ‘so devastated’ that she only recently forgave her ex-husband.
‘We don’t talk that much because we only talk when I need him,’ she said. ‘I need help with this, talk to this one like that.’
She added that her ‘amazing’ husband, Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas, 48, actually talks to her ex-husband more than she does.
On the topic of Ruelas, she added: ‘He’s always doing the right thing.
Even though she now has a friendship with her ex-husband, she said that her ‘amazing’ husband, Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas, 48, actually talks to her ex-husband more than she does; seen in November 2023
She is a mother to four daughters — whom she welcomed with her ex Joe prior to their 2019 separation and 2020 divorce. The former couple share Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13
‘He’s pretty amazing,’ she continued. ‘It shows the kids that they get along and they love that.’
Teresa tied the knot with Luis in August 2022 in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
She is a mother to four daughters — whom she welcomed with her ex Joe prior to their 2019 separation and 2020 divorce.
The former couple share Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13.