In a shocking Real Housewives of New Jersey moment Wednesday, Teresa Giudice revealed her wedding to husband Joe Giudice almost fell through due to his insistence at having a prenuptial agreement. During an argument with Joe over finances as he sat in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment awaiting the results of an appeal in his deportation case, Giudice revealed she was initially hesitant to sign the agreement ahead of their 1999 wedding.
“You made me sign a prenup, OK!” Giudice said heatedly to Joe after he accused her of spending all of his money, adding in a confessional, “A week before we were getting married, Joe asked me to sign a prenup and I just felt when you love someone, you don’t do that.”
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Giudice initially said she wouldn’t sign the agreement, but in the end decided it was too late to call things off.
“Being Italian, I have old school parents, and it’s an embarrassing thing to call off a wedding,” she explained, adding she only signed in the end upon insisting a clause be added making the entire agreement void in the case of infidelity.
“I didn’t even read it, I just said, ‘I want you to put one thing in there. If you ever cheat, the prenup is void,’” she recalled.
The wedding did end up going off without a hitch, and the Giudices went on to welcome four daughters: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10.
The family has had a very difficult last few years however, with Joe and Giudice both serving time in prison for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud in subsequent sentences. After Joe was released from prison after his 41-month sentence in March, he entered ICE custody to await further word on his deportation to his native Italy.
In December, after the family had reunited for Thanksgiving, a source close to the family told PEOPLE that Giudice and Joe had decided to separate, but had no plans for divorce at the time.
“They agreed that each had to move on,” the insider said. “They are doing so amicably and very slowly. Joe has been out on a few dates, Teresa has not. She has been too busy with the girls, with work obligations and taking care of her father. She is happy for Joe. They have been very friendly with one another and are very supportive of each other’s happiness. They still love one another, but … neither is interested in a long distance relationship.”
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