Joe Guidice talks drinking; Teresa admits kids don't know about sentence

Andy Cohen, left, speaks with Teresa Giudice, and her husband Joe Giudice, cast members on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," during a taping of "Watch What Happens Live," on Bravo. Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in prison on conspiracy and bankruptcy charges and Joe was sentenced to 41 months last Thursday in federal court in Newark, N.J. (The Associated Press)

Does Joe Giudice have a drinking problem?

That question was raised in court when he and wife Teresa Giudice were sentenced to prison time for fraud, and in the second installment of a two-part interview with Bravo’s Andy Cohen, the embattled reality star and his wife opened up about his alcohol consumption.

When Joe was sentenced to 41 months in jail his lawyer asked that part of the sentence include time at a rehab center.

"Before we started the “Real Housewives” stuff, I think I used to drink only on the weekends," Joe Giudice explained to Cohen in the "Watch What Happens Live" special that airs Thursday night. "Now I drink every day… just wine, I don't drink anything else really."

Explaining that he can "easily do" four bottles of wine with another person or "sometimes two" by himself, Joe Giudice confessed, "I might have a little problem, yeah."

His wife added that the drinking has increased since his father passed away at the age of 63 this June. “He says it helps him sleep.”

Teresa Giudice also admitted that besides their eldest daughter, Gia, 13, the other three girls Gabriella, 10, Milania, 8, and Audriana, 5, have not yet been told that their mother is going to jail for more than a year.

The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" fan-favorite, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison, said she holds no ill-will towards her husband, who is seen as largely responsible for the illegal moves that resulted in their sentences.

"I don't think he meant to hurt me in any way," she told Cohen. "I think it's a learning lesson for both of us… Since [the sentencing] he's been feeling bad and keeps coming up to me and hugging me."

Joe Giudice revealed that his wife only asks that he take care of the couple’s four daughters and he does feel guilty over his wife's impending jail time. "I did everything I could to get [Teresa] out of it, but it didn't work,” he confessed.

At least Teresa can count on the support of her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. The pair have feuded for several years but Gorga took to her Bravo blog to express her sadness over the shocking verdict.

“Obviously this has been a very tough week,” she wrote. “We are heartbroken for our family and especially those four sweet girls,” she said of the Giudices’ four daughters. “Pray for them. No matter how you feel, I hope everyone is wishing their family strength and faith.”