Teresa Giudice has addressed speculation she's leaving The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

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"I would never step away. I started the show," Teresa, 50, told People in a statement.

Fans have been wondering if Teresa decided she's done with The Real Housewives due to her ongoing drama with her brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa Gorga.

"I'm never going to give that to anyone because I'm the one that started the show," Teresa said.

"Other people are trying to put that out there, like, 'Oh, Teresa wants to leave.' It's so crazy to me how people are trying to plant the seed that Teresa wants to leave the show... the games that people play."

Teresa has been a mainstay on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since the show premiered on Bravo back in 2009.

When Teresa went to prison for 11 months in 2015, the show actually went on a production hiatus during her incarceration.

Teresa and her ex-husband Joe Giudice were sentenced to jail time in October 2014 after pleading guilty to 41 counts of financial fraud -- which included failure to pay taxes, hiding assets and submitting fake loan applications -- in March of that year.

After reaching a plea deal, Teresa was originally sentenced to 15 months in jail, while Joe got a whopping 41 months.

A source told TMZ in December 2015 that Bravo couldn't wait to film Teresa's life outside of prison once she returned to her daily routine.

Teresa was released from prison at Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut on December 23, 2015.

Teresa therefore added of rumors she's done with The Real Housewives of New Jersey, "No. I started this. I'm not walking away until Bravo wants me to walk away."

The most recent spat between Teresa and her immediate family went down because Joe and Melissa reportedly decided not to attend her August 6 wedding to husband Luis "Louie" Ruelas.

But Teresa admitted her relationship with her brother and sister-in-law has been tense ever since they joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey "behind [her] back" for Season 3.

"Since my family came on the show, it was very hard for me to enjoy being on TV," Teresa said.

"Here I am, just getting my feet wet, enjoying it and then bam. I get knocked, really stabbed in the heart with my family coming on the show behind my back... It was very traumatic."

Teresa continued, "I never signed up to be on a TV show with my family. This was my thing. I was excited about it. It was something new for me, and it was like my job, and I was excited, and then all of a sudden I get bombarded and ambushed by my family. And it was very sad, because I felt like my dream kind of got shattered."

The Real Housewives of New Jersey will return for its thirteenth season on Tuesday, February 7 at 9P ET/PT on Bravo. Previous seasons of the show are available for streaming on Peacock.

Teresa just competed on Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars on Disney+.

Teresa and her pro partner Pasha Pashkov were the second couple eliminated from the reality dancing competition during a late September episode.

Actor Jason Lewis and pro partner Peta Murgatroyd were the first couple sent packing of Season 31.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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