Family forever. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro had the support of everyone when he went to get treatment last month – including his Jersey Shore castmate Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.
“Mike was one of the ones that was actually there for me throughout the whole process. Everything that has happened over the last year … he would always hit me up,” the reality star, 33, told Us Weekly exclusively. “When I would feel a certain way, I would call Mike up, and he’d be like, ‘It’s going to be all right.’”
In fact, Ortiz-Magro called Sorrentino, 36, the day he decided to go to rehab to get help with his depression and alcohol abuse. “He was just like, ‘I’m proud of you … I’m glad that you finally got to your point.’ He’s like, ‘People can try to push you and force you to do things that you want, but that’s not the way you get someone to do it. You have to want to do it.’”
He added: “Mike definitely pushed me to get healthy. Just him being around was definitely an inspiration … When you’re the way I was – just depressed, always angry, resentful and just regretful was a big thing – you look at him and you’re like, ‘I want that. I want to be positive.’”
Sorrentino has had his own struggles over the years, battling a prescription medication addiction and doing multiple stints in rehab. He has now been sober for over three years and is currently serving an eight-month sentence in prison for tax evasion. He continues to also speak to his other costars too, including Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWOWW” Farley and Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio.
“We talk every day through email. He’s doing great. He still has his positive attitude. He still sounds like he swallowed a book of poetry,” Ortiz-Magro told Us. “He’s a great guy, and me and Mike’s relationship has definitely grown throughout the last year, because we were always back and forth, but that’s brotherly love. You’re going to fight with your brother, then you’re going to make up.”
Watch our exclusive video with Ortiz-Magro above for more.
