Teresa Giudice: 'It is Important For Me to Defend My Character'

Buckle up -- the next season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey could be a wild ride. "There are a lot of hurtful and shocking moments," Teresa Giudice reveals to People about season four of RHONJ, which premieres on April 22.

(Take a sneak peek at the new season in our RHONJ trailer.)

Although T felt "saddened by what transpired," she didn't allow the other women to walk their Jimmy Choos across her. "I live by a strong set of morals and family values and if I am being attacked I will stick up for myself," the Celebrity Apprentice contender tells the magazine. "I am a strong woman and it is important for me to defend my character if it is being assassinated. It was a very difficult to go through and especially hurtful when family is involved."

(Get a first look at photos from the new season of RHONJ.)

About that, a preview of the upcoming season shows Teresa and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga coming close to physical blows. "Melissa and I are family and we have our ups and downs just like any family. That is life," explains Teresa, who also notes that she could have used a do-over at times this past season. "I live in the moment and nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes and in retrospect there are times where I would have handled a situation differently."

Will this season be RHONJ's most dramatic yet? Start a Tweet Battle, and make your case.