Joe, who? Teresa Giudice got engaged to fiancé Luis “Louie” Ruelas in October 2021 and has stood by his side despite backlash.
During the season 12 premiere of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa, 49, defended her man, 46, after a “weird” video resurfaced at a party she was hosting.
Though Bravo did not show the clip, Margaret Josephs described it in a confessional.
“This video — I don’t know what was going on. But Luis is on the beach in the middle of this pack of men. And they’re all, you know, naked. The poor guy looks like he’s been dragged through the river, and he’s begging for forgiveness with the men behind him,” Margaret, 54, said. “And they’re all like cheering him on, [saying], ‘You can do it!’ And they’re men who would scare the hell out of me if I saw them in an alleyway, by the way,” she added.
In response, Teresa told her, “Listen, that’s part of his past, so he doesn’t owe anybody an explanation about anything. I think he’s an amazing man,” she said. “I go by how me and Luis are present and future. I have a past. He has a past.”
Luis popped the question on October 19 at the Amanzoe Resort in Porto Heli, Greece.
“It was absolutely exquisite,” a source told People at the time. “The choreographed fireworks display illuminated a ‘Marry Me’ sign as Louie got down on one knee. Teresa was completely surprised.”
Prior to their engagement, Teresa got candid about their chemistry, gushing that he’s “amazing” and her “soulmate.”
“Well, Louie is just more very open. He gets me to open up,” she previously divulged during Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “Like, I know exactly what he’s feeling. He expresses his feelings. Because he’s so open, it makes me express my feelings to him,” she explained, adding with a smile, “I like a lot of attention and so does he. We both give each other a lot of attention, which I love. We can’t keep our hands off each other.”
When Andy asked his other guest, Jackie Hoffman, her thoughts on Tre’s sex life, she cheekily said, “If he’s Latin, he’s probably the only one who could keep up with that libido of hers.” Tre then responded, “Yes! Oh my god, amazing. You don’t even know!”
At the time, she revealed whether or not she could see herself walking down the aisle again. “I feel it,” she blushed. “We’ll see what happens. I really feel like he’s my soulmate.”
The couple were spotted packing on the PDA at LAX airport in Los Angeles back in January 2021. The RHONJ star smooched her partner inside the building, while he touched a hand to her back as they walked through the California air hub, according to photos obtained by Daily Mail.
Teresa went Instagram official with her new man one year after calling it quits with husband Joe Giudice. “The BEST thing that came out of 2020,” the Bravo star captioned a photo on Tuesday, December 22, showing her sitting on Luis’ lap.
She previously teased the new stud in her life on November 9 via Facebook. In the photo, a mystery man could be seen with his arm around her waist. According to Us Weekly, the mom of four began dating the businessman around that time. A source told the outlet the couple are “very new, but they are happy” after she finalized her divorce from Joe in September.
In December 2019, In Touch confirmed Joe, 49, and Teresa — who share daughters Gia, Gabriella, Milania and Audriana — broke up after 20 years of marriage. “Teresa and Joe have split, but everyone saw it coming. No one is really surprised,” a source exclusively revealed at the time. “Even their daughters knew it was coming and their recent trip to Italy was all about spending quality time together and discussing the real issue at hand — they were splitting up.”
As for Joe, he too has moved on post-split. In an interview with E! News in October 2020, the reality dad explained he has no hard feelings toward his wife and is involved with someone new.
“We’re not really dating,” the Bravo alum told the outlet of his potential love interest, an attorney. “But we’re, like, seeing each other or whatever.”
When asked how it feels to see Teresa moving on, Joe — who is currently residing in the Bahamas after serving prison time for fraud — admitted it would be silly to be upset.
“What’s she going to do, stay alone forever?” Joe asked. “That’s not fair as well. Look, if I would have got out and I would have been able to go home, who knows what would happen? Maybe we’d still be in the same situation, maybe not. I don’t know. Things change after so many years.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Teresa’s soon-to-be husband, “Louie.”
Teresa and Louie went on vacation with Joe and their daughters.
“I truly appreciate and hope I will continue to be present in my best friend life,” Joe captioned a group shot in the Bahamas on March 31. “A great person, mom and confident individual. @teresagiudice @louiearuelas great meeting you and your boy.”
What does Louie do for a living?
Luis is the cofounder of Digital Media Solutions and has been working in the digital marketing space since he launched his first business in New York at age 19, his company bio reads.
“His extensive entrepreneurship experience, hustler mentality and competitive spirit culminate with his love of family and passion for community,” the profile states. “A father of two sons, Luis spends a great deal of time advocating for children with special needs with a particular focus on Autism given his son’s condition.”
Where does Louie live?
According to Page Six, he resides in Allendale, New Jersey.
Does Louie have social media?
Teresa is following an account with the name @louiearuelas. Though his profile was once private, he is currently public with more than 95,000 followers at the time of publication.