"We really do have a tight family relationship."
Teresa Giudice can depend on her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga.
ET spoke with Melissa, who is married to Teresa's brother, Joe Gorga, on Wednesday at DailyMail.com and DailyMailTV's holiday party held at the Cathédrale restaurant in New York City, and she shared how her family is supporting one another.
Teresa's husband, Joe Giudice, was sent back to Italy after being released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody while it's being decided whether he'll be able to return to the U.S. Joe was released from prison in March after serving three years behind bars upon pleading guilty to multiple charges of fraud in 2014. He was immediately transferred to ICE custody before being sent back to Italy, where he was born.
Melissa told ET that she and her husband have been helping Teresa and her four children while Joe's been away. "My husband’s there all the time. We really do have a tight family relationship," she insisted, despite the drama that goes down between her and Teresa on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. "I know it's hard to tell from everything that's gone on [during] the show, but we really are tight. And we're always there to back her up."
As for how Teresa is doing during the holiday season with Joe in Italy, Melissa said they're "doing good."
"She just spent some time there and they really enjoyed it," she noted of Teresa's visit to Italy with her daughters in early November. "And the girls are gonna go back for the holidays, which is so nice."
While many fans are wondering whether Teresa and Joe are headed for a divorce or reconciliation, Melissa said they are trying to just be happy where they're at. "I think they're gonna start to learn how to live apart because they have no choice," she said.
Teresa and Joe might not be the only parents in the family with four kids! Melissa teased what fans can expect in season 10 regarding her thoughts about having another child.
"It's a real thing to turn 40 and say to yourself, 'It's now or never,'" she admitted of possibly having another baby. "Joe [Gorga] and I really went through the whole process, really exploring it. You're going to have to watch season 10 to find out if there's a bun in the oven or not."
While Teresa and Melissa appear to be on good terms, the 47-year-old reality star still seems to have some beef with Caroline Manzo. Teresa accused her former RHOA co-star of acting as an informant in relation to the government's investigation into her and Joe's business dealings, which led to them both serving time behind bars.
Here's what Caroline told ET about Teresa's allegation:
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