Why did RHONJ’s Teresa Giudice and Joe split?
TERESA and Joe Giudice filed for divorce after more than 20 years of marriage.
Teresa revealed that she could not handle a long-distance relationship on top of the years of legal drama that the pair dealt with, she is now married to husband Luis Ruelas.
The two have spent time in jail for fraud charges - and Joe has remained in Italy after he was deported.
Who is Teresa Giudice?
Teresa Giudice is a reality star, author, and entrepreneur.
She is best known for her role on Bravo's Real Housewives Of New Jersey.
Before she was sentenced to prison, Teresa penned several cookbooks and biographies.
She served 11 months of a 15-month sentence for fraud in 2015.
She owns a sparkling wine business called Fabellini and has also tried her hand in the food and restaurant industry.
When did Teresa and Joe Giudice separate?
The couple announced their separation in December 2019, though they hadn't lived together since Joe left for prison in early 2016.
The couple - who got married in 1999 - called it quits after years of legal drama.
As of 2020, their divorce was completed.
What was the reason behind Teresa and Joe's split?
During the season 10 finale of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa announced she and Joe .
The episode followed Teresa and her four daughters as following in October.
In a candid discussion, the two reviewed how they would make their relationship work in light of Joe's deportation case.
"You get on a plane, and we meet places, that's all. And we have fun," Joe told his wife.
"And that's what we do. We make things work."
"No, I don't want that," Teresa answered.
";I want somebody with me every single day."
She went on to explain that she hadn't been happy since their legal drama began.
"The past five years have been really dark. You've said a lot of hurtful things to me, you wish you never married me and all this stuff," Teresa shared.
"It just makes me think about a lot of things. Like, you marry somebody and they're supposed to protect you."
The two decided to call it quits.
Teresa told viewers that Joe's lack of accountability was the most frustrating part of the situation.
"It's so infuriating to me. After four years of us both doing time, he still does not take responsibility for what he's done," Teresa shared.
"He hasn't changed."
Do the couple have kids?
The two share four daughters: Gia, 19, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10.
Why did Teresa and Joe go to jail?
In March 2014, Joe, 47, and Teresa both pleaded guilty to multiple counts of bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
The Italian-born father also pleaded guilty to one count of failing to file a tax return in addition to the other charges.
RHONJ star Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in prison and served 11 of those months behind bars from 2014 to 2015.
Joe was sentenced to 41 months in prison and began serving time in a New Jersey facility in 2016 - three months after his wife was released from her Connecticut jail.
The former businessman was released straight into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody due to not being an American citizen.
The TV star - who was born in Saronno, Italy - was deported to his home country but has fought to come back to be with his family ever since.
The Sun exclusively confirmed that his deportation appeal was denied by a federal judge earlier this year.
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Court papers read: "It is now hereby ORDERED and ADJUDGED by this Court that the petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals entered on April 11, 2019, is DENIED."
In one of Joe's arguments, he insisted he was “not convicted of an aggravated felony offense because there was no loss to a victim exceeding $10,000.”
But the appeals court concluded the arguments “have no merit.”