Teresa Giudice Opens Up About Finding Closure With Her Past Prison Stint

Long before Jen Shah was arrested on suspicion of fraud on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," or Erika Jayne was investigated for fraud on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Teresa Giudice and husband Joe Giudice of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" were actually sent to prison on charges of — you guessed it — fraud. Teresa hasn't exactly been shy about the 11 months she spent behind bars — it was a literal storyline on "RHONJ," after all — but now, several years later, she's opening up again about how her perspective and feelings have changed. 

Back in 2015, Teresa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud, among other offenses, according to ABC News, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. In her first interview after her release in 2016, which aired on "Good Morning America," she described prison as "like living in hell" (via ABC News). But she also said in the interview that the women she met while incarcerated were "amazing," and said maybe she had needed the time to reflect. And now, nearly six years later, she's reflecting even more.

It's clear that Teresa Giudice still doesn't have many fond memories from her time in prison, but going by a recent interview she did on Sirius XM with Andy Cohen (via People), she's at least learned to live with it. "I'm fine with saying I went to jail. I'm good with it now," she said. That doesn't mean she thinks she got what she deserved, mind you. Teresa continued, "I know in my heart I was not supposed to go there. I know I only went because I'm in the public eye." She's always insisted she never knew she was committing a crime — including to Andy Cohen, per Forbes — so you can't fault her for consistency. 

One thing she does seem to have changed her tune on is how she felt about her now ex-husband Joe Giudice, who also went to prison for fraud. At the time, Teresa showed every intention of sticking by him, but now she feels resentful. "I lost time with my mom and if I didn't go away, I would have never lost that time. And then when he got out, I was like, 'When I see him, this will be my true test,'" she said. Unfortunately, she said she didn't feel anything at all. 

The good news is that everyone now is in a better place (except Joe, who was deported and now living in Italy, according to Bravo).