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'Real Housewives of NJ's' Kathy Wakile: 'I never wanted to choose between Melissa and Teresa'
So far this season on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Bravo shifted the big feud from Danielle Staub and the Manzos to Teresa Giudice's family drama. Yet, Teresa's cousin, Kathy Wakile, says she had no idea at first that she was even being considered for the same show Teresa was on.
"Maybe it was naive on my part," Kathy tells Zap2it after we asked her if she thought Bravo was interested in her because of her connection to Teresa. "I really had no idea it was even for the Housewives."
The new housewife says her relationship to Teresa isn't something she flaunted. She has never shared the same last name as her cousin, doesn't tag Teresa in photos on Facebook, and she didn't like to tell people that her cousin was on the show until she really knew them.
"I didn't do that," she explains. "Because I would always like to establish myself for who I truly am on my own."
Of course, the cat's out of the bag now and to viewers it seems as if she sides with Teresa's sister-in-law and new cast member, Melissa Gorga, against her cousin. But, Kathy says that was never her intention.
"It's never been a team for me," she says. "I never wanted to choose between Melissa or Teresa. As I said before, I grew up with Teresa. Teresa is my cousin and I love her. I looked at her like a little sister. When Joe and Melissa got married, I looked at Melissa like a cousin too. And we all got along really, really well initially. And what happened was Teresa's life got busier."
Kathy explains Teresa became busy with her life and small kids while her own kids were becoming old enough to do social activities and Kathy needed to be with them. So, the cousins drifted apart. Meanwhile, she began to spend more time with Melissa, who even though she had small children too, she stayed closer to home and could spend time with Kathy.
"It wasn't a divide that was intentional by any means," Kathy says. "But still sometimes Teresa sees it that way. It was not intended to be that way."
In the last episode, viewers watched Kathy approach Teresa in an effort to get her to speak to her brother about the fight that broke out at the christening. Things took a turn for the worse when Kathy said she was protecting one of Teresa's daughters during the melee and Teresa felt like her mothering was being attacked. Kathy says that the audience doesn't have the full picture.
"Other things, factors were going on that you didn't see," Kathy says. "People who are chiming in and you didn't see that people who were not even at the christening were adding their two cents and flaming the fire."
"I didn't blame her for not knowing where her children were," she adds. "Because obviously, if it was my husband and my father and my brother-in-law and my brother involved in something and my children are not in the immediate danger of the actual altercation, I would really be worrying about who was involved... And she took it that I was trying to [question her mothering]. And I was not at all."
So according to the housewife, things just seemed to backfire on her. Looking back, Kathy says she regrets she ever approached Teresa at the fashion show.
"I wish that I had just turned and walked away," she tells us. "And said, 'You know what? This is not gonna be good.' And I didn't, if you notice, I didn't speak to her or try to talk to her in a threatening way. I took her in a different room, so we could have some quiet and not have everyone be involved. And you know, I did not attack her... Yes, she says I talked to her in soft voice, well I did, yeah. I didn't go as the aggressor. I didn't try to attack her. I was talking to her from a place of love."
Watch the argument again below:
After hearing Kathy's side of things, what are your thoughts on her and the argument with Teresa?
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Photo/Video credit: Bravo
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OMG, Danielle's off the show, so Kim G. butts her nose into your business to get herself back on the show. GROSSS!!!!! She has no business butting in when she just met you. Kim, your 10 minutes is over! Get a life!
With a cousin like Kathie, Teresa doesn't need enemies. Kathie is worst than Melissa.
Please bring back Danielle, Teresa is the only sane and interesting person on the show.
Really she had no idea Bravo was interesting in her for housewives?
"Coming from a place of love" and yet in every Talking Head interviews during the show she makes snide comments about Teresa's looks and intelligence.
Kathy is doing some damage control because she knows she looks bad to the public. Family is Family and what she and Melissa have portraited so far is not that.
KATHY-
JUST KEEP STIRRING THE POT!! YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ARE REALLY GOOD AT THAT.
So AGREE! Def Damage control. Kathy should be ASHAMED of herself, thats her own flesh and blood. However, theres a good reason why shes close to Melissa, people of like minds gravitate towards one another. As for her claims she didnt know Bravo approached her for HW, LMAO! Umm, for a woman who claims to be oh so intelligent, I would've thought she could come back with a better story that this. She approached T with the FULL intent of attacking, belittling and adding fuel to the fire. WHO is she trying to Kid?
She wasn't the Aggressor? Huh, thats odd, we must be watching an entirely different show..because what I saw unfold on MY tv screen completely conflicts with her version of what happened. She may have not raised her voice but she went in there not with "love" as she claims. Really, how do you tell someone they need to apologize after being publicly humiliated at a Child's christening? If she was any kind of decent human being she would've at least said to Melissa "Hey you know what? I get it, you don't like my Teresa, I'm not really a fan of hers either However, that's MY COUSIN" No wonder Teresa avoids these ppl, I WOULD TOO!
Kathy and Melissa need to STFU. They are both jealous of Teresa, and thats why they decided to do the show.
Stupid *******.
I love theresa and think she is a wonderful mother, her brother should be ashamed of himself, what a crybaby, his wife gives me the creeps. These relatives should stay in the closet,i dont want to see them on my tv.
Theresa is a billing *****, notice she told Caroline to butt out she can control her family. Theresa can not control her girls. THERESA AND HER HUSBAND IS NOT ON THE SAME PAGE. JOE IS SO SICK OF THERESA U
CAN TELL THE WAY HE TREATS HIM. JOE OWNS THE PIZZA SHOP HE RUNS. SO WHAT DOES IT MATTERS WHAT HE DOES HE IS TRYING TO WORK IN THIS ECOMONY. THERESA WANTS ALL ATTENTION ON HER. THERESA NEEDS TO CHANGE MANY THINGS ABOUT HER.
Love these comments. I never saw Teresa "fans" until these two appeared on the show. Now there seem to be a bunch.
For her to claim not to know what show they wanted her on...really? Both her and Melissa appear very well-versed in what went on on the Housewives, so I can't buy that. Unless they're so self-absorbed they think they're inherently interesting and therefore deserving of a place on television...just 'cause they're that fabulous.
I do wonder, though, now that these two are experiencing the negative side of famewhoring, now that they're in a position to cry editing- will they be less jealous of Teresa in real life? I'd like to think they'd gain awareness and get over themselves. Doubtful, though.