Teresa and Joe Giudice are going their separate ways. The Real Housewives of New Jersey stars have split after 20 years of marriage, Us Weekly confirms.
“Teresa and Joe have separated, but have no plans to divorce yet. Teresa and Joe talked about their future when she and the girls were in Italy and decided it was best for them to separate,” a source tells Us. “Neither of them wanted to be in a long-distance relationship. Joe has been dating in Italy, Teresa is busy taking care of their girls right now. They harbor no ill will toward each other and will continue to coparent their kids. The girls will be going to Italy in December, Teresa will be staying home.”
Teresa and Joe, both 47, tied the knot in October 1999 and renewed their vows in September 2011. They are the parents of four daughters: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 10.
“Marriage means for better or for worse,” the Bravo personality told In Touch Weekly in 2011 after her and Joe’s fairy tale-themed “second wedding” at Long Island’s Oheka Castle. “We’ve been through a lot, and if anything, it’s just made us stronger.”
However, less than three years later, the couple found themselves in a sticky situation. They pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three types of bankruptcy fraud. Teresa served 11 months in federal prison in 2015, while Joe served 41 months until March 2019.
After the former construction business owner’s release from prison, he was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Italy native, who never became a U.S. citizen after moving as an infant, had been ordered in October 2018 to be deported to his home country. He filed an appeal a month later, but the Board of Immigration Appeals denied it on April 11. He was granted permission to leave ICE custody on October 3 and flew to Italy eight days later.
In the midst of Joe’s deportation case, Teresa announced that the now-estranged couple would “go our separate ways” if he was forced to return to Italy. “I’m not doing a long-distance relationship,” she insisted on the RHONJ season 9 reunion in March. “It’s not going to work. I’d be like, ‘Bye, bye.’”
The Standing Strong author was spotted getting cozy with realtor Blake Schreck during a trip to Miami in February while Joe was in prison. However, the Giudice family’s attorney, James J. Leonard Jr., insisted at the time that the pair were “nothing more” than friends.
Teresa and Joe also denied being unfaithful to each other during their respective prison stints in an interview with Andy Cohen that aired on October 27. “If we stay together, we stay together. If we don’t, we don’t,” Joe said on the hourlong Bravo special. “We’ll see.”
A month later, Teresa traveled to Italy with their daughters to visit Joe. The trip, which was documented by Bravo cameras, marks the last time Teresa saw Joe in person before calling it quits.
A rep for Teresa and Joe had no comment.
