7 Things You Didn’t Know About RHONJ Stars Melissa And Joe Gorga’s Relationship

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6. Things Got Serious Quick

Similar to his sister, Joe Gorga got married at a young age after only having dated Melissa for a year! It seems to be the old school Italian way to settle down quickly and start having children. After hearing the story about how they met and how smitten Joe was with Melissa, it’s not that hard to believe things got fairly serious between these two rather quickly! “It was one of those things that we went out on a first date and saw each other every day after. We both just knew, we were at the age when we were ready to settle down,” she said. Their wedding took place in 2005, but according to her Lifetime bio, it took the Gorga family quite some time to warm up to Joe’s fiance. They were apprehensive about her because she had been engaged twice before. At the time of their wedding, she and Joe’s sister, fellow Housewife Teresa were fairly close and Teresa even served as one of Melissa’s bridesmaids.

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5. Friends With Cake Boss

Melissa and Joe have been appearing on television for nearly 5 years now so we guess it shouldn’t be surprising that they have some celebrity friends or other reality television acquaintances. Many people would be surprised to learn that the Italian couple is good friends with Cake Boss star, Buddy Valastro! Just this past July, the Gorga’s threw an Independence Day party and Valastro and his wife Lisa showed up and can be seen in an Instagram video singing karaoke with Melissa and Joe! Of course, they sang along to some Italian songs and in another video Joe and Buddy showcased some impressive dance skills.

A photo posted by Melissa Gorga (@melissagorga) on May 15, 2016 at 6:00pm PDT

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4. They Have Regular Date Nights

Melissa Gorga told The Daily Dish that in order to keep her marriage strong with fellow RHONJ star Joe Gorga, they go on regular date nights. “I always say it’s probably one of the most important things [to have date nights]. I don’t know how couples can survive without being able to spend some time alone and take it back to it being about the two of them, instead of the bills, the kids, the mortgage, the work, the jobs. There’s got to be a time that you guys just hang out and remember why you like each other so much,” she said. A quick scroll through her social media page will show that their dates range from romantic dinners, to football games and even trips down to Atlantic City.

A photo posted by Melissa Gorga (@melissagorga) on Sep 30, 2016 at 4:43pm PDT

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3. Marriage Proposal

When asked what their favorite memories are of one another, Melissa went back nearly 12 years ago to the day when she and Joe got engaged. Apparently it took place on her birthday and, from the sounds of it, she was totally surprised! “My favorite [moment] is the day that he proposed to me. Because it was just special, it was different and he surprised me. I thought I was going somewhere for my birthday, I opened the door and he was inside the room with flowers and he wasn’t even supposed to be there,” she said. She also joked that, despite their dedication to date nights, surprises on this kind of level don’t happen much and, after reminiscing about this story, she joked he needs to start stepping up his game again!

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2. What They Do Best

Every fan of The Real Housewives of New Jersey knows that all the stars on the show are all about family — that’s the Italian way! Melissa Gorga and her husband are no different. In an interview with The Daily Dish Melissa said the thing they are the best at as a couple is raising their family: “Joe and I do family best. We’re strong like that. It’s our No. 1 thing. All the other things in life we struggle at — trying to make ends meet and trying to figure out how we’re gonna juggle everything — but when it comes down to our kids, that’s where we’re strong. We know how to do that. We got that,” she said. They have three children, Antonia, 10, Gino, 8, and Joey, 6.

A photo posted by Melissa Gorga (@melissagorga) on Oct 23, 2016 at 2:58pm PDT

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1. Marriage Advice Not Well Received

In 2013 Melissa Gorga released a book called Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage. The book was designed to be somewhat of a memoir, but also an advice book. It was not well received at all. Fans have always known that Melissa and Joe Gorga have what they call an “old school Italian” marriage, but her book took it to a whole new level! She was accused of condoning marital rape and advising women to be submissive in their relationship. The most disturbing exert from the book was written by Joe Gorga which said: “Men, I know you think your woman isn’t the type who wants to be taken. But trust me, she is. Every girl wants to get her hair pulled once in a while. If your wife says ‘no,’ turn her around, rip her clothes off. She wants to be dominated. Women don’t realize how easy men are. Just give us what we want,” he wrote. In other parts of the book Melissa advises women to never tell their husbands to “leave them alone” if they are looking for intimacy because “eventually he will leave you alone more than you wish he would.” She also said women should be “available” for sex with their husbands, do housework to “stay grounded,” and called on women to maintain their “gender roles.” The entire book was extremely sexist and an enlightening look at how they both view their marriage. She later issued a statement in defense of her book and that she does not condone marital rape or any kind of domestic abuse. She said “there’s a difference between racy and ‘rapey.'”

Katherine G

Katherine is the Managing Editor for Health and Parenting, but she has a soft spot for entertainment. She loves binging shows on Netflix, reality TV is a guilty pleasure, and country music is her go-to playlist. When she's not writing, she's spending time outdoors, especially with her puppy Zoey!