A heartbreaking decision — after 20 years of marriage, The Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa Giudice, 47, and Joe Giudice, 47, are separating, much to the disappointment of their legions of fans and supporters. Joe seemingly confirmed the sad news in an Instagram post on December 17, captioned, “It’s Time To Let Go.” The post was simply a side-by-side shot of himself and his wife. He turned off comments on the post. Teresa is yet to comment; her most recent Instagram post was an ad for RHONJ on her Instagram story.
Fans of the couple were quite concerned that the couple could be heading for a split, as Teresa seemed to drop hints that the pair were growing apart. On the Nov. 20 episode of Watch What Happens Live!, Teresa candidly shared that she didn’t believe she would be seeing Joe for a long time, following their mid-November family reunion with their four daughters — Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 10. When a caller phoned in to ask Teresa when she believe she’d see Joe again, she tepidly responded, “Umm..maybe this summer.” Naturally, host Andy Cohen had some questions. “Maybe this summer? That’s in like eight, nine months,” Andy said.
But Teresa had a response ready. The RHONJ star shared that Joe was in the midst of getting his Italian passport. She also shared that her daughters were planning to visit their father for the Christmas holidays, when Teresa would be working. Thus, she made the choice that she would visit her husband in the summer of 2020.
Of course, the couple’s relationship appeared to be running its course, as Joe had spent so much time behind federal prison bars — 41 months — and was subsequently deported to Italy after being detained by ICE. Joe was videoed in for an interview with Teresa on WWHL, where the couple revealed truths about their relationship that were disheartening for both. When asked if Joe believed Teresa had been faithful to him during his 41-month prison sentence, he swiftly responded, “no, I don’t think so.” Although Teresa denied any extramarital affair, but the tension between the couple was palpable.
The pair did, however, give some hope to their fans when Joe commented on a gorgeous snap of Teresa, saying she looked “great” during an appearance on WWHL. Though they seemed to try and mend any issues, things clearly weren’t smoothing over. With Joe’s new life in Italy and the months he and Teresa spent apart during his prison sentence, the final blow of their separation is a disappoint for fans who want to see the couple last. Moving forward, it will be a major adjustment in their lives.