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Teresa Giudice shared that she’s done with the “toxicity” and has no interest in bringing it into 2023. This year, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star feuded with her brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa, who joined the show in 2011.
Their recent drama began when Melissa and Joe skipped her wedding to Luis Ruelas. According to reports, Teresa discussed a purported affair between Melissa and actor Nick Barrotta. This apparently led to an explosive fight in the finale of season 13, which premieres February 7.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Teresa shared what she hopes to avoid in 2023: “Toxicity, definitely toxicity.”
To make this happen, the newlyweds will conduct a burning ceremony with their friends.
Luis shared, “I’ve done a lot of work on myself as a man, and so a lot of guys I’m around, they’re like, ‘Wow, you talk differently, you say this differently,’ and so some guys want to know what that’s all about … We’re going to go to a place where there’s a little fire, and everyone’s going to have pieces of paper, and we’re going to write down some things we want to let go of in 2022, burn it and let it go, walk away holding hands, don’t look back.”
“You leave behind, and then literally don’t look back,” he added. “It kind of cleans out your mental storage, cleans out what’s of the forefront of your mind, really.”
His wife then expressed, “And you can manifest what you want in 2023. We’ve done that before … I just want peace, love, happiness and health. Life is short, it’s very valuable, so you have to value the time that you have on this Earth and surround yourself with good people, good vibes, people that are happy for you. It’s really important, and especially my children, I want them to see that also.”
“I just want to have a great time,” the author and podcast host continued. “‘Cause being in this world, you get used and abused, and Louie, he’s new at it, so it’s like I’m protecting him from all that. I’ve been doing this for a while now, and so, I know the games, I know everything that comes along with it, unfortunately.”
Teresa also shared what it’s like to work with her family.
“Since my family came on the show, it was very hard for me to enjoy being on TV. It happened [in the] third season. Here I am, just getting my feet wet, enjoying it and then bam. I get knocked, really stabbed in the heart with my family coming on the show behind my back,” said the 50-year-old. “The reason why I still talk about it now, and it’s been 10 years, is because it was very traumatic.”
“I come from a small family and we were really close. And then for something like this to happen, it was really hard for me to deal with,” she went on. “I always tried to keep the peace and that’s why I kept my mouth shut for a lot of years… because my parents, they lived for me and my brother … for anything bad to happen afterwards, it’s heartbreaking. No parents want to see their children fighting.”
“But now, unfortunately my parents are not here anymore,” the star continued. “So I’m going to do what’s good for my family, good for me, good for my children. And I just want peace. And that’s why any toxicity, [I have to] keep it out, unfortunately.”
Her new husband added, “To see the closest people around [her] have been gaslighters and manipulators. I’ve heard it firsthand and it’s actually disgusting. Even some of the men on that show may have come after me because they know that I ain’t going to stay quiet … the dog’s going to come start biting. I’m not going to take your s— anymore. You all play these games with her, right? And now she’s got a man in her life that’s not going to let you do that anymore.”
Teresa then teased a difficult season 13. “It was really hard for me because, of course, I lived it and it’s very painful,” she explained. “So to me, it was very hard, because this is a time that we’re getting married and it’s supposed to be the best time of my life.”
“You’re going to have to watch to see how it plays out, but it was a very hard season for me. Very painful,” said Teresa. “I’m just saying, it’s hard to be on a reality show with your family. It’s not something I signed up for.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 is set to premiere on Tuesday, February 7, on Bravo.