Teresa Giudice Reveals She Profited Off Prison Exit Pics & If She Forgives Ex Joe In Candid Talk About Life Behind Bars!

Teresa Giudice is looking back on her stint behind bars!

Perezcious readers will recall how the Real Housewives of New Jersey alum went to prison after pleading guilty to multiple fraud charges relating to her ex-husband Joe Giudice’s bankruptcy fraud. She was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, for 11 months in 2015. For a reality star with an over-the-top lifestyle, you would think prison would’ve been hell for Tre! However, it was quite the opposite! She actually has some fond memories of the place, starting with the food!

On the Hollywood Raw podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn Wednesday, Teresa was asked about what the grub was like behind bars — and her answer is shocking! She confessed:

“I have to say, the food was really good. And I actually cooked there also because I’m a cook — I’m a three-time New York Times best-selling author, three of my cookbooks.”

Her specialty? The television personality revealed she cooked in the prison kitchen for 200 inmates “whatever was on the menu that day.” Ha! She also said she “made a chicken stir fry one time.” But her “favorite” meal she had while in jail had to be a simple banana nut muffin:

“I’m telling you the food was so good and what was my favorite was when I first got there, they had banana nut muffins. I would have a banana nut muffin every morning and then they ended up running out of them and I was so mad.”

As for the rest of her prison experience, beyond the supposedly delicious food, Teresa shared she was fortunate to be in a facility with a lot of “a lot of cool people.” She felt like she was in “college” most of the time. The only thing was she “just couldn’t leave!” Teresa added:

“I had to stay there. I mean, I was able to go outside and get fresh air. And I have to say, the grounds were so beautiful. The scenery was beautiful.”

Well, this sounds nothing like the experience her fellow reality stars Julie and Todd Chrisley are having in prison now! Wow! Teresa got very lucky — well, minus the whole ‘being locked up for months’ thing. Upon her release, though, she knew she needed to return to reality and get some money! Teresa admitted on the podcast that she decided to capitalize off the ordeal and stage paparazzi pictures of her getting out of prison! She said:

“They wanted the first photo and I did it. I was like, if they’re going to get it anyway, so I might as well make money off of it.”

She has a point! If the paps were going to be there, why not profit off it?! However, that was the only time setup shots during her time in prison. Ultimately, her time in prison wasn’t “bad,” saying she got in the best shape of her life.

Of course, her ex-husband came up in the conversation, too. Asked if she has forgiven Joe for landing her in jail, Teresa admitted it took a long time for her to get to a good place with him, mainly because she lost her mom eight months after prison and her dad three years later. Their deaths “devastated” her, considering she could have had more time with them if she wasn’t locked up. Eventually, she was able to forgive Joe once she realized this was meant to happen so they could get a divorce and she could meet her current husband Luis Ruelas:

“I finally forgave him because I know that this had to happen in order for me to not have been with Joe anymore. So I felt like that had to happen in order for me to meet my soulmate, which is Luis, because I probably would’ve never left him. But you never know. Maybe if Joe would’ve came home, I don’t think it would’ve worked out. So I think everything happened the way it was supposed to happen.”

Now the former couple is not only cordial, but Luis and Joe get along really well together. Teresa said:

“We don’t talk that much because we only talk when I need him. I need help with this, talk to this one like that. But we don’t, I mean, I have to say Louie and him talk more than Joe and I talk.”

It’s great to hear Teresa and Joe are in a good place years after their legal drama. Watch the podcast episode (below):