Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Tragedy Why Teresa Giudice Says She Never Blamed Husband Joe for Her Prison Sentence Despite having to leave her four girls for a year, Giudice says she knows her husband Joe "would never do anything to hurt me" By Charlotte Triggs Charlotte Triggs Charlotte Triggs is a digital leader and veteran journalist with nearly 20 years experience working in celebrity and general interest news. She is currently General Manager for PEOPLE Digital. People Editorial Guidelines and Emily Strohm Emily Strohm Emily Strohm is a Senior Editor at PEOPLE. She has been at PEOPLE for 11 years and has written nearly 40 cover stories for the magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 9, 2016 06:00AM EST Photo: Gillian Laub Teresa Giudice says reporting to prison for a yearlong sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud last year, and leaving behind her four young daughters, Gia, 15, Gabriella, 12, Milania, 10, and Audriana, 6, was the most difficult thing she’s ever done. “It tore my heart out,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue. From the time she was sentenced in October, 2014, “I felt like I was dying,” she says. “I was praying to God like, ‘Why? I don’t understand, Why?’ “ A self-described “old-school” wife, who says she signed whatever paperwork her husband or lawyers asked her to without question, 43-year-old Teresa admits she didn’t have a thorough understanding of her financial situation at the time. • For PEOPLE’s full coverage of what’s going on with Teresa Giudice and her family these days, visit PEOPLE.com/Teresa But throughout the ordeal, Giudice – whose new memoir, Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again, written with PEOPLE Staff Writer K.C. Baker, hits Tuesday – insists she never blamed her husband Joe, 43, who will have to serve his own 41-month sentence beginning in March. “I never blamed Joe for any of this,” she says emphatically. “I mean he had no intention whatsoever to hurt me in any way and that’s the reason why.” RELATED VIDEO: Joe Giudice Reveals Prison Tips Wife Teresa Giudice Has Given Him For his part, Joe tells PEOPLE exclusively that he did everything he could to keep his wife out of jail. “I took full responsibility and tried to do what I could to keep her out of there, and we worked on it until the last day when she went in, not really thinking she was really actually going until she actually had to go,” he says. “It’s not pleasant for any husband to see their wife in a place like that no matter what, but I’m just glad it’s over.” • For much more from Teresa Giudice, plus an exclusive interview with her husband Joe as he prepares to serve his own prison sentence, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE Magazine, on newsstands Friday For her part, Teresa says many friends have questioned her loyalty to Joe – but her mind is made up. “Some people are like, ‘Oh my God, how could you forgive him?’ ” she says. “Because I know in my heart that he would never do anything to hurt me.” Teresa also hopes women will learn from her mistakes. “I hope, even from me, other women will learn: before you sign something make sure that you understand everything that you’re signing.”