Just one day after receiving prison sentences for bank fraud, Teresa and Joe Giudice sat down with Andy Cohen for a special two-part installment of “Watch What Happens Live” to talk about the sentencing and how it will impact their lives and the lives of their children.
In the first part, which aired Monday night on Bravo, Teresa was adamant that all she was thinking about was her four daughters. Teresa will serve her 15-month sentence first, leaving Joe to take care of their children. Once she is released, Joe will surrender himself to serve 41 months.
“I mean, of course I was shocked,” Teresa said of her sentence. “It was very unexpected. I mean, I don’t even know what to say. I really don’t know what to say.”
Joe echoed his wife’s disbelief. “I actually felt like I got hit in the back of the neck with a bat,” he said. He added that he felt his sentence was a bit extreme. “I didn’t think I was gonna get that much,” he added calmly. “I don’t know. It is what it is.”
She and Joe pleaded guilty to four and five counts, respectively, rather than face the full 41-count indictment brought against them, but Teresa did so unaware that this could mean time in prison.
“I thought my lawyer was going to fight for me. I mean that’s what lawyers do, I don’t know,” she said. “That’s why you hire an attorney. You put it in their hands.”
See photos: The Scene at TheGrill 2014: TheWrap’s Media Leadership Conference
Teresa said that she needs to read things before she signs them and make sure she understands what she’s signing. “I’m a trustworthy person, and sometimes I take what other people say and I just believe them and I trust them and I can’t do that anymore,” she said.
She was referring perhaps to the documents she signed when she plead guilty, but also to the documents Joe admitted to having her sign throughout their marriage as part of his fraud scheme. He was defensive in talking about it, but didn’t deny that he had his wife sign documents without her fully understanding the potential implications.
After pleading guilty, Joe genuinely thought Teresa would face no jail time for her role in his illegal activities. “I even took all blame and full responsibility for everything,” he said.
As for their daughters, only their eldest, 13-year-old Gia, knows that Teresa will be surrending herself to authorities to begin her prison sentence on Jan. 5. Teresa plans to tell the three younger girls before her surrender date, as she wants Joe to bring them by to visit at least once a week.
As for prison itself, Teresa insists she isn’t worried about it. “I’m going to do fine,” she said. “I’ll just slick my hair back and go about my day. I just think about my daughters. That’s all I think about.”
She isn’t worried that her infamous temper will get the better of her, either. She says that she was a different person when she pushed Andy Cohen at a reunion special. “No one can push my buttons anymore,” she explained.
Part 2 of this special “Watch What Happens Live” interview airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.