Go Big or Go Home

Ciao Tutti!

OK, deep breath. Exhale. Watching the first part of the Reunion show was completely crazy, made my heart race, and I lived through it!

First, a public apology to Andy Cohen. I love love love you. I’m sorry I pushed you, but it’s just my natural reaction to try and shake people off when they’re holding me back. And I know it’s just a natural reaction to try and hold someone back who’s on the move. Thank you for caring about me and for being such a gentleman. You are the best.

Yes, I was mad, but I promise, I would never touch a hair on Danielle’s head. She’s just not worth it, she’s sue happy, and it’s what she wants. I know this and I would never give it to her. I do have self-control when it comes to being physical. But I am a screamer. I can’t help it and I do own it. I’m just very vocal when I’m mad. I’m Italian and I live in New Jersey – we cook big, we love big, we laugh big, and we scream big. At least I do anyway. It’s who I am and I’m not going to change for anyone, especially not cameras.

But like Caroline said and Dina said last year, I’m really only like that very rarely and only when I’m pushed to the edge. Danielle just knows how to get in there and push buttons. Instead of taking care of her beautiful daughters, she spends her time running around town trying to dig up dirt about all of us. And then she spits it back at you when you least expect it. It’s ALWAYS lies, but it’s shocking to hear because she’s letting you know she’s talked to people in your life. It would make anyone crazy.

When I’m attacked, I attack back. I have never gone after her first. Except for being on the show together, we don’t interact. I don’t sit around and talk about her. I don’t Twitter about her. I don’t try and find out things about her. I don’t care. But I won’t stand for her to bring up things that have nothing to do with the show and are none of her business and that are total lies. Who would sit back and let someone spew lies about their family on national television?

Danielle’s all about making a fresh start and not wanting people to talk about her past (and her skanky present), but then she starts in with my family. For the record, I said “Do not BRING up my family” not “break up” – she could never break up my family, but she does need to keep their names out of her mouth. Of course I have a lot of wonderful family members and friends that are not shown on the show. It’s completely unacceptable for Danielle to drag them into the mud and lie about them.

I know I opened my home and my heart to the viewers and I’m so blessed you have let me. But my extended family – my aunts and cousins and in-laws – didn’t and they deserve their privacy. I would not answer anything about them because it’s nobody’s business, but since so many of you asked what Danielle said that made me so mad, I will tell you as best I can…

In April, my newest nephew was born off camera. (No, not Jacqueline’s baby; Jacq and I are not related.) And no he’s not sick. He’s perfect and beautiful and we’re blessed to have him in our lives. If you all remember, I was scheduled to do the live Bravo Chat Bubble for a Real Housewives of New York episode the night he was born, and I was at the hospital so long, I was late logging in. So, yes, of course I was at the hospital when he was born!

When we were talking about Danielle not even acknowledging the birth of Jacqueline’s new baby Nicholas – which is part of the show – Danielle jumped in and accused me of not acknowledging my own new nephew. Did you see my face, how confused I was? At first, I had no idea what she was talking about because I WAS there and my 90,000 Twitter followers were kind of at the hospital with me that day too. But then I realized what she was saying – that she had been digging around my extended family and trying to find dirt on me and defame them. And I just had it. I will not stand for that (or sit still anyway).

It’s the same thing that happened at the Fashion Show. My life is complicated and stressful enough due to the bankruptcy and the ongoing legal issues we’re going through right now. If you’ve ever been in the legal system for anything, you know it’s  painful, private and definitely not fun. I wish I could say more about my finances and address the inaccuracies in the press more clearly, but our case is still open, so I can’t. Then to have Danielle throw one of her little bombs at me about my house being in foreclosure (which for the love of all that is holy it is NOT!) let me know she was in my legal business as well. She needs to stay out of my private business. I’m not in hers. Never have been.

So to answer the question about why I talked about her sleeping with Steve after just meeting him and then screwing around with him at my Shore house in front of both mine and her daughters… that is connected to the show. In the first season, I gave her a chance. I invited her and her girls and her new boyfriend into my home, and she disrespected me and horrified me with her behavior. We all saw it. And then she lied about it. Lied and lied and lied and then denied. Everyone always asks me what I was saying when I flipped the table last year. I know a lot of it was bleeped out, but here’s the answer: "You f----ed a guy in my Shore house!" That’s what set me off. Completely and utterly disgusting.

The only other thing I have to say about part 1 is sorry Caroline, but I’m afraid I don’t agree with you about prostitutes. Call me old school, call me old fashioned, but I do have a problem with them. I think they do hurt more than just themselves. I’m not a big fan of whores – the prostitution, coke or skanky kind.

On a happier note, it was awesome that Andy mentioned my New York Times best-selling book Skinny Italian. Thank you all for making it such a success and embracing my family’s culture and cuisine. I’m hard at work on the next book – but it will have all new recipes and juicy stories – no quickie rehashes here – so you’ll have to get both!

Thank you all for your support. I answer only to God, I’m not going to change for a show, but I do appreciate all of your kind words and sweet messages. They really make a huge difference in my day!

Visit my website at www.teresagiudice.com for more information about Skinny Italian including a list of the recipes, gorgeous photographs and the latest
news from the Giudice family. There’s an awesome unaired bonus clip on Bravo of the behind-the-scenes making of the book. So fun! http://j.mp/a4lawG

And follow me on Twitter @teresa_giudice. I answer as many tweets as I can, but I do read every single one.

Tanti Baci,

Teresa