Teresa Giudice is opening up about one of her biggest regrets from her time on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and surprisingly, it is not the table flip.
During an interview with Allure, Kyle Richards asked Teresa which moment from the show she regrets the most, but quickly added, “Pick something other than the table.”
Lisa Barlow jumped in and guessed that Teresa’s answer might have something to do with the infamous RHONJ christening.
“Just knowing Teresa, because I think you’re such a calm person. I think it takes a lot to get you to a hundred,” Lisa said. “I think probably the christening.”
Teresa immediately pushed back, saying, “Well, I didn’t do anything.”
Lisa clarified that she meant what happened at the christening overall, not necessarily Teresa’s own actions.
“But what happened at the christening,” Lisa said.
Teresa agreed, saying, “Oh, of course. I’ve never wanted any of that to happen.”
But when Teresa revealed her biggest regret, she said it was not about one explosive RHONJ fight. Instead, it was about her husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas.
Teresa admitted one of her biggest regrets is not keeping Louie more private when they first started dating.
Vicki Gunvalson then brought up Kim Zolciak’s early Real Housewives of Atlanta days, when Kim’s mystery man, “Big Poppa,” was never shown on camera and his identity remained a secret for a long time.
Teresa agreed with that comparison and said she wishes she had handled Louie differently.
“That is one of my biggest regrets and I am not the one who brought that out. My brother did,” Teresa laughed.
Teresa then explained that she does not agree with the common argument that anyone involved with a Housewife automatically signs up for public scrutiny.
“Everyone says that whoever you’re with signs up for this. I disagree. They do not sign up for this,” Teresa said. “My husband when I met him did not like any of this, did not know what he was getting himself into and then came into my world and got hurt.”
Kyle agreed with Teresa and made the point that being in a Housewife’s life does not mean someone has agreed to become fair game.
“I mean, they’re not signing a contract. They’re not being paid to be there,” Kyle said. “And it’s one thing to support you, but that doesn’t mean because they support you that they signed up for it too.”
Lisa also agreed, saying she hates the idea that spouses or partners become open targets just because they are connected to someone on the show.
“And free game to annihilate and that part I hate,” Lisa said.
Teresa’s comments come after several seasons of RHONJ where Louie became a major topic of conversation. From the beginning of their relationship, the cast questioned his past, his intentions and his place in Teresa’s life.
The drama only intensified after Teresa and Louie got married, with Louie becoming a central figure in the feud between Teresa, Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga.
While Louie did film with Teresa and appeared on the show, Teresa is making it clear that she does not believe that means he understood the full weight of what he was walking into.
For Teresa, the regret seems less about being with Louie and more about exposing the relationship to the level of public and cast scrutiny that comes with Housewives.
And while fans may debate whether partners of Housewives should expect to be part of the drama, Kyle and Lisa seemed to understand Teresa’s point.