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Teresa Giudice is opening up about the reason behind her decision to withdraw from FOX’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, leaving her daughter, Gia Giudice, behind.
As the second person, behind Brittany Cartwright, 36, to leave the show amid its fourth season, the 53-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey star spoke of how Gia’s then-impending fight with soccer player Christie Pearce Rampone, 50, led her to walk away from the series while also looking back at being called “stupid,” sharing a regret, and more.
“At first, I was so terrified,” Teresa told Decider about her initial thoughts about joining Special Forces. “I saw that it was no joke. The thing that was making me nervous was the water. I saw a lot of water activities, and I don’t know how to swim.”
While Teresa was hesitant at first, she ultimately liked the idea of doing the show with Gia, 24, saying her oldest daughter “motivated” her.
Before heading to Morocco to film, Teresa touched base with Kenya Moore, 54, and Denise Richards, 54, who previously participated in the show and told her it was “so hard.”
“[Kenya is] so strong,” Teresa noted, signaling their time together on Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. “I would not want to get into a fight with Kenya Moore. I think I’m pretty tough, but she would definitely whoop my a**.”
Once she arrived, Teresa was immediately faced with tough challenges and labeled “stupid” by a staffer.
“I felt like I had to say something to him because I thought that was a little rude. So I just said, ‘That’s not nice,'” Teresa explained. “I didn’t want to be disrespectful because I had respect for [him] being in the military. But I just had to give him a piece of my mind … He was trying to push my buttons.”
After Brittany went home on Day 1, Day 2 brought a fight between Gia and Christie, as well as Teresa’s exit.
“I didn’t want to see my child get hit. I would have definitely jumped in,” Teresa revealed. “I didn’t even want her to see me getting hit … I was just like, ‘I don’t want to show my child that.’ It was all about Gia and being a mom first, and what was the best example I could teach my daughter.”
While Teresa knew it was time to get, she admitted that it was stressful leaving Gia behind, even though she “knew she was going to be good.”
“I cried that whole night in the hotel [and] the next day going to the airport .. I cried until Gia came home,” she shared. “[Luis Ruelas] was like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ He was like, ‘You’re so different. What happened?’ I was like, ‘I miss my child. I just want to make sure she’s okay.’ I was upset until she came home.”
Looking back at her preparation for Special Forces, Teresa shared her regret.
“They sent our boots to us ahead of time, and they said to break them in. And then they said to walk around with a weighted vest. I didn’t do that part. I should’ve done that part because our backpacks weighed 30 pounds,” she stated.
Then, after answering, “Neither,” when asked if the staff or her RHONJ dinner at Rails gave her more PTSD, Teresa suggested which Bravolebrities should appear on the show next.
“I would say Whitney Rose from [The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City]. I think she would do well. On my show, I would say [Jennifer Aydin] or [Dolores Catania],” she said.