Teresa Giudice - Real Housewives of New Jersey, Mental Health of Children, Fraud, Prison, Divorce, Finding Love & Redemption

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Teresa was born in New Jersey in 1974, being the first generation of Italian immigrants from Sicily. Her mom didn't know she was pregnant, and Teresa was born in the US. They were living in an attic, her father was working odd jobs including washing dishes and construction. Eventually, he became a shoemaker, and this inspired Teresa to study fashion marketing at Berkeley College in New Jersey. They were a middle-class family, and her father was able to pay for her wedding and college tuition.

After college, she married Joe Giudice and had her first daughter in 2001. Teresa rose to fame starring in the first season of Real Housewives Of New Jersey in 2009. Then in 2012, she starred on 'The Celebrity Apprentice' and raised $70,000.00 for NephCure, a charity that focuses on rare kidney diseases that affect children. Children of course have been her main focus for the last 20 years, as she now has four wonderful daughters that fill her life with love and keep her busy. Even though things were looking good around this time, it all came crashing down.

Teresa ran into severe legal trouble in 2013, when she & her husband were sent to prison on multiple counts of fraud. Her marriage of 20 years fell apart. She served 11 months, and during that time faced multiple lawsuits. This was a major time of self-reflection and figuring out how to move on. She settled her debt, paid her dues, and did her time for the crimes she committed. After all this, she then lost her Mother and then her Father all within a couple years from each other. Those deaths really affected her kids and everyone in her family and were a tough obstacle for them to overcome. She feels now that she's finally able to get her life back on track.

Since starring on Housewives, Giudice has co-authored three successful cookbooks that include recipes handed down from her mother from Italy. When she was first released from prison in 2015, she wrote her first memoir titled "Turning The Tables" that ended up becoming a New York Times Best Seller. It chronicled her life growing up, meeting Joe, joining RHONJ, and serving nearly a year in prison. Her latest book, though, was quite a departure for her. It's called "Standing Strong" and is an introspective look at herself, how she has changed as a person, and how she is trying to live her life now. It was tough adjusting to being a single parent and trying to live a normal life after prison. It was tough to focus on herself for a change and create a healthier lifestyle with yoga and good eating habits. Now Theresa feels like she's finally in a good place in her life, and wants to share her story of how she was able to turn her life around, in hopes of inspiring others.

For more on Teresa Giudice, and how she was able to turn her life around check out http://teresagiudice.com/ and grab her new book "Standing Strong".

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