Teresa Giudice and her four daughters are finally seeing their husband and father again. It’s the first time since he was held in ICE custody upon his release from prison. The family reunited in Italy where Joe Giudice is living after being deported from the U.S. as a result of his federal fraud conviction.
According to Us Weekly , Melissa Gorga, who is married to Teresa’s brother, confirmed that the family headed to Italy on Wednesday of this week. She said that things are a little uncomfortable between Teresa and Joe, and the trip is a way for them to get to know each other again after years of being apart.
“At this point, they don’t know each other anymore. And they need to get to know each other again,” Gorga, 40, said on GMA’s Strahan, Sara and Keke. “It’s only fair to give her that minute to get back together and see how they feel. It’s been a long time. She’s on her way to Italy right now and we’ll see what goes down. That’s a long time to be away from your husband.”
Dolores Catania, who co-stars with Teresa on The Real Housewives of New Jersey , says that she spoke with Teresa as she was packing to head to Italy, and things were apparently chaotic. Daughter Gia, 18, apparently couldn’t find her passport, which was causing some concern for Teresa on top of the stress of being reunited with her husband.
Teresa served nearly a year in prison for her part in the federal fraud conviction. She served 11 months of a 15-month sentence and was released early for good behavior. Shortly after she was released from prison, Joe began serving his sentence, which concluded after 41-months behind bars.
Upon release, he was put into ICE custody, where he remained while he appealed the decision by a judge to have him deported to his native Italy. As a result, the family hasn’t seen each other face-to-face in a long time.
Reportedly, Teresa is viewing this trip as a bit of a test, and she has had some anxiety about the situation. Recently, when she has seen her husband of 20 years, it was from behind glass or in a federal prison yard surrounded by other inmates.
“Even on this trip, her and I agree, this isn’t the trip to really know if the romance is there,” Catania said.
Teresa has said that she would leave Joe if he was deported, but it looks like the family is trying to make things work, judging by the happy family photos that Joe shared of the reunion.
