Teresa Giudice is discussing her final straw with Joe and Melissa Gorga and feeling bad about how much her husband, Luis Ruelas, has been through since he joined her on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
While appearing on a talk show earlier this week, Teresa, 51, opened up about the drama of the show, including her ongoing estrangement from Joe and Melissa, 45, as she also reflected on spending New Year’s Eve with Joe Giudice, 51, and looked back on her run-in with Taylor Swift, 34, at Coachella.
“My poor husband. When I first met him, this was all new to him. He didn’t understand reality TV, but now he is, unfortunately, adjusted to it. This is his third season. I felt bad for him because he did go through a lot, and I’m glad he didn’t run away from me because he could of, just because it was tough,” Teresa explained on CBS’s The Talk. “He didn’t sign up for this. He met Teresa Giudice not thinking a lot of my cast members were gonna attack him on my show, which they did because they were trying to get to me, and they knew they didn’t have anything on me, so they figured, ‘Let’s hurt the person she loves,’ and that’s what they’ve been doing.”
According to Teresa, she’s “done defending” Luis, 50, against skeptics and can’t wait for fans to see RHONJ season 14 since she came with “black and white facts.”
“It’s gonna be very eye-opening,” she teased.
As she continues to enjoy married life with Luis, Teresa has remained in touch with her ex-husband, ringing in the new year in the Bahamas with Joe just months ago.
“We spent New Year’s Eve with him,” she revealed. “Luis was like, ‘Babe, why don’t we go spend New Year’s Eve with your ex. It will make the kids so happy.’ And I was like ‘Really?’ But I have to say, that was so beautiful because my kids were so happy that me and their dad were in the same room. Like, my youngest [Audriana], she’s 14, so when Joe left, she was six. The last time me and Joe were in the same room was four years ago when he first moved to the Bahamas. So she was so happy that me and Joe were together she cried to [Gia Giudice], she’s like, ‘I can’t believe my mom and dad are in the same room.’ So I was grateful that Luis said that.”
When host Jerry O’Connell, 50, mentioned that he would protest if anything were to happen to Andy Cohen, 55, amid the ongoing lawsuits against him and Bravo, Teresa said she’d do the same.
“Me and Andy go back so long. I’ve known him for the longest time, and he’s been nothing but so professional, amazing, and through rough times, he was always there for me,” she shared. “He emailed me all the time when I was away, so he’s been a tremendous friend, great boss. He’s been nothing but amazing and great to my kids, too, because he’s seen my kids grow up.”
Also on The Talk, Teresa said that while she “kept my mouth shut” to “keep the peace” with the Gorgas while her parents were alive, she feels differently now that they’ve passed.
“After what they did [with] my wedding, tried to make my wedding all about them, that was the last straw. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she stated. “And this season, something else comes out that I was shocked to hear … My heart starts beating really fast because I get if a stranger goes against me, that’s fine, because a stranger, you expect that from a stranger, but when your family member deliberately hurts you, that’s on a whole other level.”
Although there will likely forever be a divide between Team Teresa and Team Gorga, Teresa said she gets signs from her parents that she’s in the right.
“I get signs from parents all the time that I’m on the right track because your family member should not hurt you,” she stated.
“We’re in the same room, but we just don’t speak, and it’s so funny, in certain events, they were all talking, as soon as I entered the group, it’s so funny how [Margaret Josephs] and the person you just mentioned would scatter,” she continued. “It’s so funny. So it’s like so funny, yeah. I entered, and they would scatter like cockroaches. I’m like, ‘That’s so funny.'”
As for who would leave RHONJ first, Teresa made it clear that Melissa would have to go before her.
“I started the show. I’m not leaving. I’m staying til the end,” she stated.
Looking back on her interaction with Taylor and Travis Kelce, 34, at Coachella, Teresa said Luis pushed her to get a pic.
“We were in the VIP area … All of a sudden, Taylor and her boyfriend starts walking by and passes us and my husband’s like, ‘Babe, that’s Taylor Swift,’ And I don’t like to ask anybody for photos because I don’t like to bother them, [but] I was like, I’m gonna do this for Jennifer Aydin,” she recalled. “Jennifer Aydin loves Taylor Swift. And I have to say, Taylor Swift was so sweet. I’m such a Swiftie now.”
Teresa even revealed that Taylor knew who she was.
“When I went up to her, I’m like, ‘Do you know who I am?’ And she said, ‘Yeah,'” she confirmed.
Also at Coachella, Teresa ran into Justin Bieber, 30, who she believes is a lot like Luis.
“He was right next to me, and I love Justin Bieber because I love all his love songs, and I love how he loves his life because I feel like Luis loves me like Justin loves his wife,” she explained. “I wanted to ask him [for a photo], and then I just didn’t because I didn’t want to bother him. [But] he was really sweet too. And I saw Hailey. She was beautiful. Hailey did one of my impressions I think … I think so, yeah.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 14 airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo.
