Even though she’s living 3,000 miles away, former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Dina Manzo has managed to stay close with her former co-stars, including the recently incarcerated Teresa Giudice.
“We text all the time,” Manzo, 44, told Page Six. “I’m the kind of friend that you can go for months, years without talking to me, but we pick up exactly where we left off and Teresa’s that way too, so that’s why our friendship has stood the test of time. We’ve been friends for 20 years now.”
Giudice, 44, returned home in December after a year-long stint in federal prison for financial fraud and conspiracy. Her husband, Joe, then began serving his own 41-month sentence, leaving Teresa at home to care for their four girls.
“I mean, she misses him, of course,” Manzo told us. “She’s just trying to keep busy so time goes by, but she’s super-strong and she’ll survive this and come out stronger than ever.”
Manzo — who fled to California last year after her divorce — revealed earlier this year that she would not be returning for the seventh season of “RHONJ.”
“I left [the show] this time for geography reasons,” she said. “There’s no emotional reason behind leaving this time. It just didn’t work out ’cause of where I lived.”
She’s been busy since her move, though, having recently launched her own skincare line called GLOW by Dina. A portion of proceeds from the line goes to her charity Project Ladybug, which raises money for pediatric cancer.