"It's going really well. We're working on repairing, rebuilding our friendship, and it seems to be going really well," Jacqueline told The Daily Dish at a party celebrating Teresa's new memoir Wednesday night. "I'm here tonight, right? I'm very proud of her, and I think she's a very strong person, a strong woman. I just wish her well."
Jacqueline said her first time seeing Teresa after she was released from prison at the end of December went better than expected. "Surprisingly, it felt like old times. It felt like seeing somebody alive after a war," she said. "It felt more comfortable than I thought it was gonna be."
Jacqueline said she wasn't nervous about seeing Teresa after all that time had passed, but she felt unsure of the status of their relationship. "I was confused as to where we stood, and so I went to her for clarification," she said.
Returning to RHONJ for Season 7 after taking a break from being a full-time cast member last season didn't even feel different for Jacqueline. "Well, I was only gone half a season, so it just seems normal," Jacqueline said of returning to the show. "I think it's going really good. This season's gotten very deep, it's funny, it's emotional, it's heartwarming."
However, Jacqueline's husband Chris Laurita said the time off did do her some good. "I think it was a good break for you, too," he told The Daily Dish. "It gave you a chance to regroup and get your mind back together again."
Jacqueline agreed. "Yes, I definitely needed the break. It was nice to regroup and go back in," she said.
Andy Cohen has said that what's happening between Jacqueline and Teresa as they film the upcoming season of RHONJ has been "very fiery," and Jacqueline acknowledged that she and Teresa continue to have their ups and downs.
"It's been a roller coaster at times, but we're trying to get back on track and stay on track because there's a history there, you fight harder. It has more meaning when you have history. It's like when you have family. I feel like she was my sister, and we've had falling outs. It's like the work we're both putting in trying to repair the damage that's been done. And so it's not always easy," she explained. "There's a journey that we're going on, and when you have the right people around you that want to encourage a friendship, then it helps because you have the right people in your ear trying to help you guys find your way."
It sounds like Chris is one of those people. "I think their friendship's gonna be better than ever," he said. "It's just gonna take some time."
However, Jacqueline didn't have as definitive of a response when asked if she thinks she and Teresa can get their friendship back to where it once was. "People always used to say we're Lucy and Ethel, and we've had those moments, so I could see it. Sometimes relationships take work," Jacqueline said. "I think anything's possible if two people are willing to put in the work and it's a sincere effort, then it works. It can't be one-sided."
Source/Photo Credit: Bravo