RHONJ: Teresa Giudice Has An Unexpected History With One Of Luis Ruelas' Sisters
Along with her new husband, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice gained a whole new family when she tied the knot to Luis Ruelas. Plus, it turns out that she actually crossed paths with one of Ruelas' sisters long before Giudice began dating her future second husband.
They say to never fall in love at the Jersey Shore, but the quintessential Jersey queen reportedly met Ruelas when they were on separate trips to the beachside hub in 2020. The former ad sales lead popped the question in October 2021, and the two exchanged vows in a lavish ceremony in August 2022. "RHONJ" audiences have been watching the dramatic leadup to the ceremony in Season 13, with the feud escalating between Giudice and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga and her brother Joe Gorga.
Even amongst all of the drama, it seems like Ruelas' family has never been a source of tension for Giudice. Between the table flipping and the pushing of Andy Cohen, we can't imagine what his family would think about the reality OG. But Giudice revealed that she actually has some shared history with one of her new sisters-in-law.
Luis Ruelas' sister attended Teresa Giudice's book signing
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" mainstay Teresa Giudice's first introduction to her husband's family wasn't through Luis Ruelas himself — it was actually through one of his sisters, Veronica and Jennifer Ruelas. Giudice revealed during the May 3 episode of the "RHONJ After Show" that Jennifer was well aware of the Housewife long before she met her brother.
"Jennifer knew me from watching the show," Giudice explained. "She came to one of my book signings a long time ago." She then recalled that when Luis told Jennifer he was dating the Jersey queen, the sister encouraged the relationship. "'If you need to be with a girl, [Teresa's] the girl to be with,'" she recounted.
It's clear that Giudice values this new sisterly relationship in her life. In an Instagram post from January, she gushed about her admiration for her sisters-in-law and how they welcomed her with open arms. "I'm so happy we chose to be so pure and authentic with each other from the start," she wrote. "And that's how we will always lead this beautiful bond we have built. I love and adore you guys." Most recently, the "RHONJ" star and Veronica vacationed together in Bali back in March.
Teresa Giudice's ex-husband tried to flirt with her new sister-in-law
It turns out that one of Teresa Giudice's sisters-in-law had a slight chance of becoming even more intertwined with the New Jersey family. Back in June 2022 just before her second wedding, Teresa's ex-husband, Joe Giudice — who she was married to for over 20 years and had four children with — gave off flirtatious vibes to Luis Ruelas' sister, Veronica. When Teresa uploaded a photo with her future sisters-in-law to her Instagram, Joe commented, "Is the tall one married?" on the post, referring to Veronica. Most would probably be irked if their ex-husband decided to shoot their shot with their new sister-in-law. But when Page Six asked Teresa about the online flirtation, she didn't seem bothered by Joe's attempted courtship.
"I think it's funny. It's awesome," she reckoned to the publication. "She's too tall for him. She would never go for him. He likes tall women. When I wore high heels, I think he was like an inch taller than me, but he has dated taller women than him, so he does like it, but I don't think Veronica would like it."
Even though it seems like there's probably no chance of the Joe-Veronica relationship considering Melissa Gorga claims she's married, Teresa was very open to the idea of Veronica joining her on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" in the future. "Never say never," she replied when Page Six proposed the idea.