Smooth sailing? Teresa Giudice and Luis “Louie” Ruelas are still adjusting to married life — and filming The Real Housewives of New Jersey hasn’t made it any easier.
“The only hard thing has been, like, the show unfortunately,” Giudice, 50, exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “This is not what he’s used to. So, it is like, ‘Poor guy.’”
The Bravo star, who wed 49-year-old Ruelas in August 2022, notes that her husband “didn’t meet just a regular random girl.”
“So that was, I’m sure, challenging for him. I feel bad that I had to put him through that,” she tells Us, adding that overall, their first year of marriage has been “great.”
Ruelas, for his part, agrees that the reality show is something he’s had to adjust to for his wife.
“Putting aside the show ‘cause it’s a separate issue — it’s a different kind of environment — real life for us has been amazing,” he explains in the latest issue of Us. “Waking up with your partner [is nice].”
The businessman adds: “When you’re in the right [relationship], you kind of know it. It’s like every day feels short.”
Despite having cameras in their home, Ruelas tells Us that his and Giudice’s day to day is full of normal activities. “We do dinners every night,” he says, which prompts the Standing Strong author to chime in saying, “We cook together.”
The Digital Media Solutions cofounder, who shares sons Nicholas and Louie Jr. with ex-wife Marisa Dimartino Ruelas, notes that when he and his sons lived alone, he “didn’t do a lot of those things,” but his life has shifted since marrying Giudice.
The Housewife, for her part, shares four daughters — Gia, 22, Gabriella, 18, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13 — with ex-husband Joe Giudice, whom she divorced in 2020.
“It’s really nice to have, like, a lot of structure here in the house with girls,” Louie explains. “We have four dogs. We live for our kids. It’s really beautiful. You get to this place and actually have time. We have time to focus on the children and what’s important, where they’re going, what their next steps are.”
As the couple continue to navigate their blended family, fans will get to see their summer 2022 nuptials for the first time when their wedding special airs on Tuesday, May 23.
“I can’t wait for the wedding special because I can’t wait to relive it,” Teresa previously gushed to Us in February of the TV event. “I was so happy, and I can’t wait to see it because I know there’s some things that I missed.”
The duo’s ceremony, however, wasn’t without drama. The Fabulicious!: Teresa’s Italian Family Cookbook author’s brother, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa Gorga, were noticeably absent from the wedding. Us later confirmed that the Gorgas skipped the nuptials after rumors surfaced that Melissa, 44, had cheated on Joe, 43, and accused Teresa of playing “a part” in the affair claims coming to light. (The pair have since denied the cheating allegations.)
“I need to heal myself. I’ve been through a lot the past 10 years with them,” Teresa told Us in February of her brother and sister-in-law, claiming, “I’m happy for them. I wish them well and I wish they wished me the same back.”
Watch the exclusive video above for more details on Teresa’s relationship with husband Ruelas — and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.