Teresa Giudice Clapped Back At Rumors That Her Fiancé Is Using Her For Fame

When The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 12 opens, Teresa Giudice is the “happiest [she’s] ever been” with her fiancé Luis "Louie" Ruelas. But it doesn’t take long for the other women to begin nitpicking her relationship — namely Margaret Josephs, who questions Louie’s intentions and even accuses him of using Teresa for fame.

“I know people are like, ‘Oh, he loves the spotlight...’ No, he does not. He’s so not into any of this,” Teresa recently assured Entertainment Tonight. “He fell in love with Teresa Giudice, and obviously Teresa Giudice is on a reality TV show — not that he wanted to find someone that was on a reality TV show ... That’s why I'm very overprotective of him. Obviously, I love him. It’s not something he signed up for. He loves me. And that’s it.”

Still, Teresa says Louie was a “natural” on camera — something she found to be a “total turn on” while they were filming. “He’s so smart, he's so well spoken,” she said. “So I think he did phenomenal. He was nervous, of course, but I think not even trying to be a natural, he is. I'm like, ‘Babe, you’re so good.’”

Teresa is also unconcerned about the bizarre video of Louie begging an ex to forgive him that began circulating online when RHONJ started filming last summer. “If I don't care about it, no one else should care. That's it,” she told ET after the clip became a topic of conversation among her castmates. “He’s dating me, not everyone else.”

For now, Teresa is focused on planning her dream wedding to Louie, starting with finding a fairytale venue. In a recent People interview, she revealed that they want to get married in Italy, since COVID thwarted Louie’s plans to propose in Capri. “But I don't know places in Capri where to get married, so I had to find someone that does all wedding planning out there,” she shared, adding she’s felt “a little overwhelmed” since announcing her engagement in October.

If that doesn’t work out, her backup plan is to get married in New Jersey and just honeymoon in Italy later. But ultimately, the location isn’t that important. “I just want it to be about, of course, Louie and I,” she said. “You always do things better and different at the same time. So I’m doing it, and I want it to just be about us.”

In the meantime, Teresa and Louie are enjoying family time with Teresa’s daughters Gia, 21, Gabriella, 18, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 13 (who she shares with her ex-husband Joe Giudice). The couple also recently went on a skip trip to Aspen, Colorado with Louie’s family, and one of Teresa’s Instagram captions seemed to indicate they’d successfully weathered whatever storms RHONJ Season 12 brought their way. “Your best view comes after your hardest climb,” she wrote.