Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Has Major ‘Jersey Shore’ Announcement

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has every intention of returning to Jersey Shore. The reality personality, 35, told TMZ Thursday that he hoped to be back on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation soon after leaving the MTV show earlier this year to work on his mental health and sobriety following an arrest on suspicion of intimate partner violence.

“I feel great. Four months sober. I quit drinking, got engaged, full-time father, you know, living a good life,” said Ortiz-Magro, who shares 3-year-old daughter Ariana with ex Jen Harley, and is engaged to marry girlfriend Saffire Matos. “I stepped away to deal with my mental health, be a father to my child, be a fiancé to my woman. I’ll be back and, you know, all the fans love me and I love them too, so I’m going to give them what they want and I’ll see them soon.”

Ortiz-Magro added to the outlet that he still is in contact with Family Vacation producers and that his time on Jersey Shore is “definitely not over.” The MTV personality said fans can expect to see him at the earliest by the end of Season 5. Ortiz-Magro announced in May, one month before the second half of Season 4 premiered, that he would be stepping back from the show to seek treatment for “mental health issues” that he had long “ignored.”

“After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that I’ve ignored for too long,” he said in a statement shared to his Instagram Story at the time, saying his number one goal was “facing my struggles head-on.”

Jersey Shore fans called for Ortiz-Magro to be removed from the show after he was arrested in April in Los Angeles on suspicion of intimate partner violence with injuries and with priors. While he avoided criminal charges in the case, his attorneys said in a statement at the time that he would be seeking help for “psychological issues” in the aftermath of the incident. Ortiz-Magro and Matos got engaged in June.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.