Fans have seen photos of Teresa Giudice in a bikini before — but never like this!
The stars of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" competed in her first bodybuilding competition on June 9 — and she came in third place!
The 46-year-old mother of four donned a bright purple two-piece thong swimsuit, clear platform heels and a dark spray tan as she joined seven other women on stage in the bikini over-40 division of the NPC South Jersey Bodybuilding Championships in Medford, New Jersey.
"She has been training for this bodybuilding competition since December," a source told People magazine. "She wanted a new challenge and pushed herself to the extreme. Right now she is in the best shape of her life. She has lost a bunch of weight [and is] even more fit than when she got home [from prison]."
Before this, Teresa was outspoken about her devotion to yoga, something she took up and fell in love with when she served nearly a year in federal prison for financial crimes in 2015.
In 2016, she credited yoga for helping her "get through it all," she told Women's Health, and planned to become a certified instructor after her release
An insider also told E! News that Teresa was working out five to six times a week to prepare for her first bodybuilding competition. "She loves the way she looks and feels and may compete again in the future," said the insider.
Though Teresa made no secret of her workouts, often posting shots from the gym on Instagram, she didn't drop any hints about the bikini bodybuilding contest, which she prepared for with the help of trainer Tara Zito, who wrote on Instagram that she was "So proud of @teresagiudice for stepping on stage today for her first time ever in the bikini division!"
Teresa's "RHONJ" co-stars including brother Joe Gorga and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga as well as Dolores and Frank Catania were at the competition to cheer her on and posed for photos with her backstage. According to Us Weekly, Bravo cameras were there to film it all for a future episode.