Teresa Giudice opens up about prison sentence: 'It was very unexpected'

Teresa Giudice’s life changed forever on Thursday when she was sentenced to 15 months in prison for hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting phony loan applications among other things.

The “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star and her husband Joe Giudice, who got 41 months,sat down with Bravo’s Andy Cohen after the sentencing  to discuss how they were handling things. The entire episode will air on Monday night, but ahead of the highly anticipated exclusive interview, Bravo released a few clips from the sit down.

In one clip, Teresa Giudice discusses how she reacted when she heard her sentence.

“I, of course, I was shocked. It was very unexpected. I don’t even know what to say,” she said.

She described to Cohen how she felt in court as she awaited the judge’s decision.

“I was so nervous [on Thursday] that I was shaking,” she said. “My nerves were pulling. At one point, I couldn’t move my fingers. They were stuck. I couldn’t open my hands. My nerves were shot. I’ve had sleepless nights.

The reality star also opened up about how her oldest daughter, Gia, 13, is handling the news that both her parents are headed to prison. The Giudices sentences will be staggered so they can care for their four daughters. Teresa Giudice will serve first, and she will head to prison in January 2015.

“She was like being strong for me. I could tell. She was like ‘Mommy, don’t worry about it. I’ll be there. I’ll happy daddy with the girls.’ She was like ‘That will make me a better mom,’” Teresa Giudice told Cohen with tears in her eyes. “You know, she was like ‘That will prepare me for when I’m a mom.’ And I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ It broke my heart when she said that.”