After placing third in her very first bodybuilding competition June 9, Teresa Giudice has “never felt so confident,” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. The 46-year-old has had it rough the past few years: She returned home from an 11-month prison stay in December 2015, saw her husband Joe Giudice off to serve his 41-month sentence in March 2016, and buried her beloved mother one year later.
With all the stress, “I have to keep my mind busy,” she tells Us. Enter bodybuilding. After getting into yoga, “I was looking for the next thing,” she says. “I also wanted to show my daughters that if you put hard work and time into something, you can achieve anything.”
The mother of Gia, 17, Gabriella, 13, Milania, 12, and Audriana, 8, tells Us’ Jennifer Peros how she found her strength.
Us: What inspired you to get into bodybuilding?
Teresa Giudice: It was something I’ve always wanted to do — for myself. I’ve gone to the gym since I could drive. I wanted to see my body transform.
Us: How has your body transformed?
TG: I love the way my arms and back look. All my clothes are big on me. My body drastically changed because of yoga, but this was even more extreme. It debunks the myth that if you’re over 40, you can’t look good.
For more about how bodybuilding has changed Teresa Giudice and what her husband, Joe Giudice, thinks, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
