Real Housewives of New Jersey's Jackie Goldschneider moved down from a full-time housewife to the "friend of" role in 2022 – but the decision has helped her find the "sweet spot" between recovery and work.
The 47-year-old detailed her heartbreaking admission that she had anorexia, and her journey to treatment was documented on the series. Now, the mom-of-four has revealed that making the decision in April 2022 left her "miserable" even though she knew it was for the best.
"Last year I was miserable," she told HELLO!
"It is a hard thing to go from full-time to part-time, but it was the necessary decision. I was not in a good place last year when those casting talks started, in April 2022. I had gained a bunch of weight and I had only been in recovery for a few months.
"I was still mentally struggling and I think everyone knew that so adding on the stress of all the fighting or the drama on the show would not have been good for me. Every time I turned on social media, if someone had posted a picture with me there would be a hundred comments saying, 'Shut up,' 'You're demoted,' and my stomach would turn every time because my self-esteem wasn't fixed yet."
Stepping away full time from the cameras also gave her children the chance to enjoy formative teenage years in privacy. Jackie is mom to 15-year-old twins Adin and Jonas, and 13-year-old twins Alexis and Hudson, whom she welcomed with husband of 17 years Evan.
"My kids also get a break from the cameras, and I think my family needed a minute away.," Jackie admitted. "The nature of a reality show is that sometimes you're putting family in uncomfortable situations and my kids were at a really specific age where they were changing and it was really nice to not have to worry about what changes the cameras would catch, for them to have these really formative years with privacy."
But this year, everything has changed for Jackie — and she has realized that her supporting role is the sweet spot. (The "friend of" role has been given to many former full-time housewives, often leading to the most inspired moments across the franchise, including Beverly Hills' Camille Grammer and Denise Richards, Orange County's Vicki Gunvalson, Miami's Marysol Patton and others.)
"This year I love the friend role so much. It's not only given me the time to really recover, but I film all the time yet I'm not so much in the center of everything. I'm a big part of everything but I had all the time I needed to write my book, and to go on my book tour," she revealed.
"I'm so comfortable in this role and I really like that; I mean the only real difference between full-time and a friend is you don't have a personal storyline but my book was my personal storyline so I don't feel a difference, and the cast doesn't treat me any differently."
Her new book, The Weight of Everything, is a memoir that details her battle with anorexia, a disorder that has been with her since she was a teenager. Fans saw her finally reach out for help during scenes that aired in 2022, when her husband revealed that their children had asked him why their mom did not eat.
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org