Entertainment
'RHONJ' Dina Manzo's Divorce & 5 More Things to Know About Her Life Between Seasons
In the season premiere of The Real Housewives of New Jersey , Dina Manzo reappeared after four seasons away with a new marital status and the same old faith that Teresa Giudice is a trustworthy person. But with so much mysterious family feuding in her past, Dina might be focusing most on clearing her own name with the faithful but fickle Bravo audiences.
Tales of Dina feuding with her sister, Caroline Manzo, and her sister-in-law, Jacqueline Laurita ,have long been in the public eye — including now, as Jacqueline goes to town on Twitter — but surely her three years in between seasons weren't only taken up with passive aggressive text messages and awkward family reunions. Check out what Dina has been up to since we last saw her. (OK, actually a lot of it is still drama.)
She's the 'Real Housewives' Host(ess) with the Most
Of course, Dina’s main gig after leaving RHONJ was to score her own show on HGTV show that follows the creation of her notoriously lavish events in client’s homes. Dina’s Party has aired for two seasons, with Dina planning events for former Biggest Loser contestants, Jersey natives, and the occasional New York Jets fanatic…Astroturf flooring included.
Image: HGTV
One with the (Two-Legged) Animals
In 2011, Dina adopted her two-legged chihuahua, Gracie, a puppy mill survivor, and has spent her time advocating for animals ever since. She serves as an honorary board member of Last Chance Animal Rescue, which included jumping out of a plane to raise money for their Skydive to Save Lives event. Dina and her daughter Alexia continue to foster animals with Faith’s Hope Rescue, the organization through which they adopted Daisy.
Image: dinamanzo/Instagram
All LOLs on Twitter
Dina has always been a pretty active Housewife on Twitter even before it was cool (aka, even before Giggy had a Twitter). She generally stays away from getting too dramatic on the world’s most public platform, but she does like to have a little fun with the other Housewives from time to time. And so does her daughter! In May, Dina tweeted out a photo of Lexi’s familiar senior yearbook quote, saying: “And it looks like my daughter has the same sense of humor as her mom~Her REAL senior quote #wiseassappledoesntfallfar”
Image: dinamanzo/Twitter
A Lady of the Children
Although Dina’s charity, Project Ladybug, came under some vague scrutiny for being the potential cause in her rift with Jacqueline (as in, knowledge of shady dealings), nothing much ever came of those accusations, and Dina has continued to run Project Ladybug, successfully establishing funds ”to bring financial and emotional hope to children and their families undergoing rigorous medical treatments” at three major hospitals.
Image: dinamanzo/Instagram
Family troubles...
In 2012, Dina announced her separation from husband, Tommy Manzo, telling Bethenny Frenkel, “some people are just not right for marriage.” And yet, the two still live together, aren’t officially divorced, and on occasion, have… relations. Dina and Tommy don’t seem on the road to reconcillation, but they’ve also kept things much more civil than many of Dina’s other past partings.
Image: dinamanzo/Instagram
...and family successes!
Say what you will about the Manzos, but they sure do love their kids. After divorcing from her first husband, Dina worked two jobs to be able to support her daughter, Alexia, as a single mother, and their bond is evident (especially on social media). This year, Dina celebrated Alexia’s graduation from high school. She might be suffering a bit from Empty Nest Syndrome, so it’s a good thing she has a few new reality-shaped hobbies to fill her time, and Teresa on her side.
Image: dinamanzo/Instagram
