'RHONJ' Teresa Giudice Prison Heartbreak: Inside Bravo Star's First Moments Before And After Her Arrival For 15-Month Sentence!

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is officially a prison inmate as of today, but the way she turned herself in shocked the media, which was waiting to get the shot of the Bravo star being driven in for her sentence.

"She reported early this morning," her spokesperson said in an email to People.

She actually reported at 3 AM, several hours earlier than her required turn in time because she was anxious to start her prison term.

"Mentally and emotionally she was prepared," her lawyer, James Leonard, told ABC News.

As for her husband, Joe Giudice, the attorney said he "was somber" and "the enormity of this entire situation hit him."

Before reporting for prison, the RHONJ star prepared for her stay by talking to former inmates of the prison. According to her attorney, they told her to be "friendly, but guarded" and "to keep her head up, that she would make it through."

Apparently, the mother-of-four was welcomed cordially by other inmates, according to Leonard, who "were giving her the lay of the land."

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As MStars News reported, it has been a sharp decline for the former Celebrity Apprentice contestant. After pleading guilty to charges of mortgage and bankruptcy fraud, the reality star's businesses, which include cookbooks and alcoholic drinks, have plummeted. She couldn't even make any money from appearances before her scheduled turn in date.

"Teresa is still trying to rack up the pay days," a source told Radar Online. "She was looking for paid holiday photo gigs with her family and personal appearances. She is trying to pocket all the money she can before heading off to the big house."

"We're told nobody even wanted her for press on New Year's Eve," the source continued.

Teresa is set to spend 15 months behind bars at Danbury Correctional Facility in Connecticut, which is the same prison that inspired the Netflix hit series, Orange Is the New Black.

How do you think Teresa will do in prison? How do you think the other inmates will treat her?