Melissa Gorga: Teresa Giudice Is Still "Trying to Hurt Us as Much as She Can"

USMagazine, Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 9:20am (PDT)

Strippergate was just the beginning.

Teresa Giudice has continued to deny setting up sister-in-law Melissa Gorga in a faux-expose about Gorga's alleged stripper past.

Since that incident at Posche fashion show -- filmed over a year ago for the Season 4 finale of Real Housewives of New Jersey -- Giudice, 40, hasn't exactly played nice, Gorga says in the most recent issue of Us Weekly.

PHOTOS: Most infamous Housewives fights ever

Following an intense Housewives reunion for season three, the pair's off-screen encounters were ugly.

In January of this year, Gorga, 33, and her kids Antonia, 7, Gino, 5, and Joey, 2, were among the guests at a joint birthday party for Giudice's daughters Gia, 11, and Milania, 6.

PHOTOS: Before they were Real Housewives

"I went with a smile on my face," the "I Just Wanna" singer tells Us. "I didn't have any intention of making up, but I went for my kids. At the end of the night, I had my son Joey in my arms and Teresa grabbed my arm and twisted it as hard as she could and said, 'You're so fake.'"

Gorga's reaction? "I said, 'Get your hands off me! There are kids everywhere!' I grabbed my kids and I said, 'Come on guys, let's go.' If Teresa could have ripped my face off, she probably would have. She was so pissed I even came."

PHOTOS: Housewives bikini bods

What's more, Gorga tells Us, Giudice attempted to interfere with Gorga's singing career. "I had some club appearances booked and she called the owner and said, 'Don't give her another appearance. Don't pay her!'" she reveals.

"The owner called me up and was like, 'Teresa is literally screaming at me.' She's trying to hurt us as financially as she can."

Although Melissa's husband Joe Gorga (Teresa's estranged brother) is "having a really hard time forgiving her," their children are, thankfully, unaware. "I'm not trying to hurt my kids," she says. "i'm trying to protect my family."

In response, Giudice tells Us: "This is disheartening. I'll always love my brother and his family."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Melissa Gorga: Teresa Giudice Is Still "Trying to Hurt Us as Much as She Can"