"Teresa and I have a roller coaster friendship," says Laurita, 46, in this week's issue of People. "It's a love/hate relationship. Not all people will understand it."
Laurita, who is returning for the upcoming season 7 after taking a break from the hit Bravo series, says this time she's all about "trying to figure out who's sincere and who's genuine – "I'm all about real relationships, I'm not about TV friends."
She continued: "I've been friends with Teresa for 13 years, so there are definitely things that I love about her or I never would have been friends with her that long ... but there are also things that frustrate the crap out of me."
Of how Giudice, 44, has changed after spending nearly a year in prison for fraud charges, Laurita says that ultimately, she ended up seeing "a lot of the old Teresa."
"People don't change who they are overnight," Laurita says. "You might want to change and you might try to change but you are who you are, and Teresa's Teresa!"
That being said, the women do their best to work through it all – the good and the bad.
"We have such a history of friendship and love and fractured relationships, so there's a lot of repairing that needs to be done," Laurita says. "But we work together. We do our best."
"It's sort of a roller coaster," the reality star admits with a laugh. "One second we could be the worst enemies, and the next second we're having a blast together. But that's just life! Sometimes it gets in the way."
The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 7 premieres on Sunday, July 10 at 8pm/7c on Bravo. For International TV Listings, click here!
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