Which is more likely to end in injury and trauma: a prison sentence or a “Real Housewives” reunion?
On Wednesday, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga dropped by The Huffington Post to talk about the upcoming season premiere Sunday. The show has been on hiatus since November 2014 while Giudice served an 11-month prison sentence for fraud.
“This season was a breath of fresh air,” said Giudice, who debated whether she would return to the series after prison.
During her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, Giudice says she formed friendships with many other women, describing it as “a camp.” She picked up yoga as a hobby and also learned a few important lessons in dealing with the endless “RHONJ” drama.
Here, we’ve outlined a few:
1. “No rats, no stitches.”
The “Real Housewives” tradition of dredging up cast members’ secrets and airing them on national television ― there may not be a housewife in New Jersey left who hasn’t been accused of being a stripper ― may be a thing of the past for the mom of three. Giudice said that “rats are a no-no” in prison.
“I’ve definitely filtered out the rats and the snakes, and I’m sure [my husband] Joe’s going to do the same when he gets out [of prison], because we definitely had that around us,” she said.
2. Filter out the “dangerous” people.
Cutting people out of her post-prison life may be a full-time job for Giudice, who said her relationship with one-time friend and fellow housewife Jacqueline Laurita, whom she refers to as “Osama bin Laden” in the upcoming season, is over.
“Coming home after a tragic [ordeal] that I’ve been through, and for her to say the things that she said, it’s really hurtful,” said Giudice. “She’s a dangerous person, a hurtful person that hits below the belt.”
3. Family comes first, no matter what.
“Teresa and I always bring it back to family,” said Gorga. “There is something more attractive about watching family work it out than watching two random girlfriends work it out. Family is a force to be reckoned with.”
Sisters-in-law Giudice and Gorga, who viciously fought for years on the show, have now formed an unstoppable alliance.
“It feels very organic and very real,” said Gorga on the pair’s newfound bond. “I don’t think either of us will ever let anything break us again. There was a lot of people mingling in with us, swaying us in certain directions and putting things in our heads.”
4. Don’t let the nonsense get to you.
“If people are trying to hurt you or people are trying to get to you, don’t let it bother you. Just brush it off, like whatever,” said Giudice, who famously flipped a table when cast member Danielle Staub told her to “pay attention.”
Once, Giudice also chased Staub through a ballroom filled with over 200 people when Staub made a home foreclosure allegation against Giudice. Yet in the aftermath of her prison stint, the reality star explained that she is aware “people will lie right to your face” and is no longer bothered by it.
“I used to always want to prove my point or prove that I was right, but it’s not important,” she added.
5. Live every day to the fullest. (YOLO.)
“Now I’m doing it even more so ― living like it’s my last day. Living every day, being happy no matter what,” said Giudice. Since returning home, she said she has been focusing on her family while her husband, with whom she communicates daily, serves out his sentence.
“Before, I would let people get to me, now I don’t let nobody get to me. It’s a good feeling. I’m very zen,” she said.
Watch the trailer below for a sneak peek at Season 7 of “RHONJ” ― which looks anything but “zen” ― and see the full interview above.
”Real Housewives of New Jersey” returns July 10 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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