Teresa Giudice Has No Plans to Divorce Husband Joe After Deportation Verdict (Exclusive)
Teresa Giudice is taking things one step at a time.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star recently sat down with ET's Brooke Anderson in New York City for her first interview since news broke of her husband, Joe Giudice's, deportation order.
ET confirmed earlier this month that Joe, who started his 41-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, in March 2016, had been ordered to leave the United States at the end of his prison sentence. Fans wondered whether Joe's deportation to his native Italy would tear his marriage to Teresa apart, but according to the reality star, she and Joe are fighting the ruling -- and staying together.
"No," Teresa replied when asked if she would ever divorce Joe. "We're going to be a family, and we're going to fight this and get through this."
Teresa and Joe pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud in 2014. The mother of four was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, and began her sentence in January 2015, but was released early, in December that same year. Just a few weeks ago, 31 months into his sentence, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to ET that Immigration Judge John Ellington ordered Joe removed from the United States at the end of his prison sentence. He has less than 30 days to appeal the decision.
"We are not even thinking about [whether we'd move to Italy] right now. We're going to take it day by day. We're going to take it one step at a time," Teresa told ET. "First, we're going to process the paperwork to do an appeal, and we're going to get through that."
The reality star acknowledged that she's perhaps pushed her emotions about the situation aside, focusing on what she can accomplish rather than the uncertainties of the future.
"I can't predict the future, and I am not going to be... I am going to be positive about it," she said. "Joe starts talking about [the deportation order] and I don't want to talk about it yet. I am like, 'We're not talking about this yet.'"
"I shut him down," she continued. "I don't want to talk about it, and what comes first is our daughters and we're going to fight this."
In addition to their four daughters together -- 17-year-old Gia, 14-year-old Gabriella, 13-year-old Milania and 9-year-old Audriana -- Teresa also has her father, Giacinto Gorga, to consider.
"My dad lives with me," she confirmed. "[But] like I said, I am not even thinking about [possibly leaving my dad] right now."
Tune in to ET tonight for more with Teresa, including the never-before-heard story of how Joe handled the judge's ruling, and if the family blames The Real Housewives of New Jersey for this setback.
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