Jackie Goldschneider is in a good place with Teresa Giudice after a rocky couple of years on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
“All this stuff is in our past, and we both acknowledge that we’ve been through it,” Jackie, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 27, while promoting her new book, The Weight of Beautiful. “We know that we have and we’ve both not been very nice to each other, and it’s OK. It’s OK. We’re through it.”
Jackie and Teresa’s relationship hit a major rough patch when Teresa, 51, brought up unfounded rumors that Jackie’s husband, Evan Goldschneider, was having an affair. After the season 11 premiere aired in February 2021, Jackie told Us that her costar had “pulled [the rumor] out of her ass,” as Evan, 49, had always been faithful.
“I was really caught off guard because I expect the best from people and I really thought that she was gonna make it right,” Jackie said at the time, adding that the speculation inspired her and Evan to work through some issues in their marriage. “We did it with such integrity and grace and I’m so proud of him and I’m proud of us.”
Jackie said in 2021 that the drama nearly caused her to quit the show, but she ultimately stayed on as a part-time cast member — and now she and Teresa, 51, are back on track. When Jackie had a book signing earlier this month, Teresa was in attendance, “which was really nice.”
The Weight of Beautiful — which hit shelves on Tuesday, September 26 — is about Jackie’s battle with anorexia. “I feel like people don’t talk about eating disorders,” Jackie told Us. “They’re not glamorous, and there’s a lot of shame involved and a lot of secrecy. So, once I began the recovery process and realized that I was going to make it through recovery, I realized that there’s so many people like me who struggle with eating disorders, and they have so many secrets and they can’t talk about it. I really wanted to open up conversations and make it something that wasn’t shameful and help people get through them.”
Jackie went on to say that she feels like she’s “about 80 percent” through her recovery now, but it’s still an ongoing process. “I think I’m going to get all the way there,” she said. “I really, really do. … And I have had some things happen in life that I used to use food as a coping mechanism, and I have never used food in that way again. I completely separate food and body image from anything going on in life. I haven’t had any setbacks.”
Before Jackie began her recovery, however, the cheating rumors were a major trigger for her. “It was everywhere, and I couldn’t deal with it. And my way of dealing with trauma was to not eat,” she recalled. “My world went so dark, and I found myself in a really unhealthy place.”
Jackie wouldn’t change anything despite the difficulty of that period, though, because it helped her begin her healing journey. “It got me to that point where I was like, ‘You know what? I can’t do it anymore,’” she told Us. “And I do think that having the show, having the whole world of reality TV viewers hold me accountable was so helpful.”
The Weight of Beautiful is now available wherever books are sold.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders (NEDA) website or call their hotline at (800) 931-2237 to get help.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
