Longtime Real Housewives of New Jersey fans will no doubt remember when Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice were indicted on federal charges in 2013. Gia Giudice certainly remembers it. The present-day star was just 12 years old when it happened.
Teresa served an 11-month sentence, with Joe serving 41 months in prison before being deported to his native Italy. Although Teresa and Joe certainly needed to face justice for their various fraud accusations, it couldn’t have been easy on the family.
And while the Giudices may not be married anymore, Gia remembered their time — together and apart — as nothing short of inspirational. Gia recently spoke with PEOPLE about Joe and Teresa’s parenting in hindsight.
Gia says Teresa “kept our family afloat”
Gia expressed gratitude for “seeing what my mom has done throughout the years that my father was away. And also once you are older, you realize the value of money. The value of raising a family. The value of taking care of children. And it’s not cheap. It’s not easy. So I value what my father did from when we were younger up until he got indicted, unfortunately.”
She continued, “For my mom standing strong all those years that my father was away and then getting deported, my mother never really made us worry … I don’t know how she did it, but she kept our family afloat. And I think that’s something that I praise my mother for every day because she kept our family standing strong, and my father obviously did as well.”
Gia also praised her father when he was on his own, and more broadly, all single parents. “I give single parents the most amount of credit. My dad did it for a little while, while my mom was away, and it’s rough. And I think for men, I think they get into a complete shock. My dad didn’t know what to do without my mom.”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GIA’S WORDS FOR HER PARENTS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TRE AND JOE AS PARENTS?
