Nearly three months in prison has changed Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice’s outlook on life.
“I miss Joe and my girls terribly, but we are going to get through this as a family one day at a time,” Teresa said through her attorney in an interview with Us Weekly. “We will be stronger because of this. Nothing can break us apart.”
The magazine features the first photo of Teresa from behind bars. In the cropped family picture, the previously glamorous housewife is seen wearing a dark green jumpsuit, minimal makeup (besides thick eyeliner) and her naturally curly hair.
Husband Joe Giudice said Teresa and their four daughters actually seem to be handling their new situation better than him.
“She comes out with her smile, with a little wave,” Joe said of their weekly visits to the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut. “I cry more than the girls. I pretty much cry every time I leave. Like a little baby.”
During their six-hour visits, Joe said Teresa helps the girls with homework and gets in plenty of cuddles. He added their oldest three daughters understand Mommy’s in prison, but their 5-year-old just thinks she’s at work.
Throughout the week, Teresa stays busy by working out after every meal and watching TV shows such as Empire with her “little group of friends.”
“It’s like a low-budget spa. They do spin classes, ab classes. She’s getting pretty ripped up,” Joe said. “It’s not horrible place. She never says anything bad.”
Teresa’s attorney added he believes Teresa — who has a reputation for being dramatic on Real Housewives — is making a good impression. He said, “Everyone I encounter, from the inmates to the staff, tell me the Teresa they have come to know is nothing like the Teresa they’ve seen on television.”
Teresa is scheduled for release from prison on Feb. 5, 2016. Joe will begin his 41-month prison sentence at that point.
