The RHONJ cast member said she was "so devastated" when she first decided to divorce her ex-husband.
More than five years after separating from her husband of 20 years, Joe Giudice, Teresa Giudice is revealing what exactly led to their split.
On the August 22 episode of her podcast, Turning the Tables with Teresa Giudice, The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member shared that her mom's 2017 death was a major turning point in her marriage to Joe.
"When my mom passed away,” she responded when asked about the moment she knew her marriage to Joe was over. "I was just like, I was so upset, you know? I was so devastated because I felt like I lost time with my mom, which I did."
Teresa went on to explain that she felt like she "lost time" with her mom, Antonia Gorga, because she was in prison from January 2015 until December 2015. Both Teresa and Joe pleaded guilty to bank, mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud in 2014 (Joe, for his part, served three years behind bars).
Though Teresa did blame her ex for taking time away from her mom, she believes that everything is predestined. "I think your life is already planned out, so what’s gonna happen is gonna happen, so this is the way my life was supposed to go," Teresa continued about losing her mom so soon after her prison sentence ended.
When did Teresa and Joe Giudice get divorced?
Teresa ultimately filed for divorce from Joe Giudice at the end of 2019, and the pair finalized their split in September 2020. The New Jersey resident began dating her now-husband, Luis "Louie" Ruelas, in the same year, and they tied the knot in August 2022.
Where do Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice stand today?
Though Teresa and Joe decided to end their marriage in 2019, the exes are on good terms today. Teresa and her second husband, Louie, even visited Joe in the Bahamas for New Year's Eve 2023.
"We had a great time," Teresa shared on the July 31 episode of Let's Talk Off Air with Kelly Ripa about the vacation, which also included the exes' four daughters, Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana Giudice. "We all hung out and it was totally fine."
Teresa also met Joe's new girlfriend when she was in the Bahamas. She told podcast host Kelly Ripa that meeting her ex's new lady was "not at all" weird for her.
Joe also recently came to Louie's defense after people began speculating that the two did not get along.
"I don't know why everyone has to take everything out of context. I know there are a lot of stories out there saying I commented badly on Louie," Joe began. "I've spent time with Louie, and I want to say I would never say anything wrong about him."
Joe continued, "Louie is a great guy and very good to my daughters. My daughters are very fortunate to have him in their lives. I'm grateful for that. That's all I have to say. Enough with this BS."
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