Like the title of her new book, Teresa Guidice is standing strong. Despite the tough times she's been through in recent years – including her stint in prison, her husband's jail term and her mother's death in March – Teresa and her four daughters are coping well. "We're keeping our head up high," she told HELLO! Online. "We're all standing strong and we're there for each other which helps us get through each day. I'm a mum of four and I live for my daughters. I wake up every morning and see them happy and healthy, that's what puts a smile on my face. I can't let them down, that's what keeps me going."
The star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey had a difficult start to series eight. Filming began with her mother's funeral. "It was hard for me when I first started filming, because that's when I lost my mum," she said. "My brother wanted to have the funeral on camera, so I didn't even know that it was being done. I think about her every second, every day. She was part of my life every day. Her memory will always… she'll never be forgotten."
"I think about her every second, every day," said Teresa
Teresa, 45, also spoke about her time behind bars and raising her four daughters while her husband Joe remains in prison. The couple pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud in 2014, with Teresa serving her sentence first so that Joe could stay with the children. "We speak to him every day. We email every day. We're always in contact," she said.
Teresa took up yoga while she was away and became a certified yoga teacher. "It was great because it helped my body and my mind, and now I do it with my little baby, my eight-year-old Audriana," she said. "She's been to kids' yoga so I do it with her. I'm trying to get my other daughters into it so maybe, eventually, they'll do it with me also."
"I'm a mum of four and I live for my daughters," she said
Reflecting on the past difficult years, the mother-of-four admitted: "I teach my daughters that you're gonna fall in life and you're gonna have to pick yourself up and keep going. Life's not perfect, there's going to be ups and downs. I was surprised. Like how many times can I get knocked down? That surprised me. It was one thing after another. But you know, I am standing strong and I live for my family."
Stream The Real Housewives of New Jersey S8 Thursdays on hayu, reality on demand.