Real Housewives of New Jersey fans have been shocked, to say the least, by the recent friendship blossoming between Jackie Godschnieder and Teresa Guidice after the pair began leaving supportive comments on each other's social media pages.
Teresa, infamously, accused Jackie's husband Evan of cheating on his wife, sharing unsubstantiated rumors that the father of Jackie's four children was engaging in extramarital affairs with women he met at the gym. The claims began circulating among the housewives during season eight, Jackie's first season on the Bravo show, which aired in 2017.
Although Teresa later apologized, the two were never able to reconnect as friends after that. But in recent weeks, fans have seen Teresa, 51, publicly support Jackie during the release of her new memoir The Weight of Beautiful, which details her harrowing journey with anorexia for over two decades.
After Teresa shared her love for Jackie on Instagram, and also attended a book signing in support of her fellow Housewife, fans wondered what had happened for the pair to thaw their previously frosty relationship, but Jackie, 47, has now told HELLO! that the two had simply "grown up".
"We both grew up. I think our lives changed a lot in the past three years and we found ourselves at this point as different people, and we were drawn to each other," she said exclusively.
"Once we opened ourselves up to that friendship, [we realized] we really like each other," said Jackie, who left the show after season 13 to deal with her eating disorder.
"I mean, I just got off the phone with her before I picked up the phone to call you. I'm very open now, my mindset has changed – therapy has been life-changing for me and not just from a food standpoint but for self-esteem. I used to do a lot of things because I felt like that would keep my friends happy and would make them like me, and I'm a completely different person now. If somebody doesn't like me for being who I am then they can take a hike.
"Once I stopped worrying about that. I was able to back away from unhealthy relationships and really fill my life with people who made me feel good."
The new 14th season, which is expected to air in early 2024, has already promised drama, with the end of the last season seeing Teresa and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga at odds, Jackie and close friend Margaret Joseph's friendship cooling off and former pals Jennifer Aydin and Danielle Cabral getting suspended from the series after a physical fight.
Jackie will remain a "friend of" in the new season.
"If you're following the tabloid news of the season – I can't confirm or deny, – but some friendships have changed," Jackie added of what fans can expect.
"During my recovery, I was very close to Margaret at that time and she was great. But I'm not as close to her anymore. And some people that I wasn't as close with back then have been real champions of my book, really supportive and proud and happy."
As for her friendship with Melissa, Jackie insisted she would "never bad mouth Melissa, ever, " and added: "I think Melissa knows that one friendship has nothing to do with the other. There's plenty of people who are friends with both on our cast and we're filming a reality show so you have to be able to have relationships with everyone."
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