RHONJ: The Moment Teresa Giudice Knew Her Marriage To Joe Was Over

Between rumored infidelity and their legal troubles, "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice and her ex-husband had serious drama. The former couple wed in 1999 and welcomed four daughters together: Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana. While it appeared to be the perfect fairytale love story for a while, cracks soon began appearing in Teresa and Joe's marriage.

For instance, in Season 4 of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," Joe was captured calling his wife a b**** while speaking to a business associate. The comment did not sit well with viewers or Teresa. "Why did he say it? I have no idea. I do know we were in the wine capital of America drinking heavily... Alcohol + camera = not a good idea. But believe me, if he talked to me like that regularly, we would not be together," she wrote in a personal essay on Bravo. 

Disrespectful comments were however the least of the pair's troubles. In 2013, the couple was indicted on multiple counts of fraud. That was the start of their legal troubles which had them both serve different prison sentences, as detailed by E! News. Their public image was however not the only thing that suffered as Teresa and Joe's marriage also took a big hit. In 2020, the pair finalized their divorce. 

Now, Teresa is opening up about the exact moment she knew her marriage was over.

In the April 18 episode of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," Teresa Giudice opened up about her 2020 divorce from ex-husband Joe Giudice. In the episode, Teresa told fellow housewives that she never imagined her separation from Joe whom she married back in 1999. However, following a sequence of unpleasant events — including their jail stints and the death of Teresa's mother — the Giudices found their marriage falling apart.  "When I lost my mom, I had such resentment towards him, but of course, I didn't stop fighting for him 'til the end, for my children," the reality star said, per Bravo.

As fans of RHONJ would recall, back in 2017, a source told In Touch Weekly that Teresa had grown resentful of Joe who was in prison at the time. "She was, and still is, very angry at Joe for putting their family in this position," the insider said. "She was at the height of her success when everything went down. They went on fabulous vacations and had beautiful cars and jewelry and, most importantly, their freedom. Joe ruined all of that."

Despite her attempt to salvage what was left of their strained relationship, Teresa soon found out there was nothing left of her marriage to Joe. "I said to myself, 'Let me see how I feel when I see him," she explained. "I felt nothing she said. "That's when I was like, 'It's over.'"

Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice might be divorced now but the former couple remain cordial with each other. In a May 2023 episode of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Teresa was seen telling Joe she has not stopped praying for his return to the United States. As a refresher, Joe was deported back to Italy in 2019 after completing his 41-month prison sentence. "Joe, I'm gonna keep praying every day that I hope one day you can come back here," the reality star told her ex-husband on a Facetime call. 

During the call, Joe thanked Teresa for her good wishes while also showing support for her new relationship with Luis "Louie" Ruelas. Speaking in a confessional, the RHONJ star admitted it meant a lot to have her ex's support. "Joe wishing me happiness just shows how far we've come," she said, per People. "I'm so proud of how we've continued our relationship, stayed connected. And I know that makes our daughters happy. He's always gonna be in my life."

Ruelas, who got married to Teresa last August, also seems to have formed a great relationship with Joe. "I spoke to Joe, actually, [on] the day of the wedding," Ruelas told US Weekly in October 2022. "Called him to let him know that, you know, I'm committed to his daughters and committed to Teresa."