Talking Real Housewives and Love Italian Style With Melissa and Joe Gorga

Melissa: We still flirt. Actually, we were out to dinner last night with a friend and he said, "You guys act like you just met. You guys act like you're on a first date." There's little things that I do here and there to flirt or keep up with it, and that's what I put in the book.

Glamour: What are some of your favorite tips?

Melissa: The best one? You know what, I think the whole section on grooming and keeping at yourself—there's a whole section on how women don't poop, which I think is so funny. I still act like I date him. You know the things that you would hide when you first start dating someone? You should be comfortable, but there's still a little bit of a mystery.

Joe: I like mystery.

Melissa: So, yeah. I think all of that about how you have to keep it spicy and keep it secretive, a little bit.

Joe: And your cooking thing. You always talk about that.

Melissa: Which one?

Joe: Prepare food for your husband.

Melissa: Yeah, I always say that too. Even if you're a working woman. It doesn't have to just be your husband, it can be for your boyfriend or whoever. But if you work all day and then go home—even if you just order him Chinese or something like that—but put it on a plate, get him a glass with ice. You don't even have to cook it, but you just show that you care and make the effort a little bit. I say a lot in the book that you have to lose your ego when you walk into the house. When you're at work you can have an ego, but when you're with your husband, don't have an ego—and vice versa.

Glamour: Joe, I want to hear some of your advice. I know she said you're in there a little bit, with your Joe moments.

Joe: Respect one another. Keep it fresh. It's not always that the woman has to do this and that for the man—the man has to do the same thing! I look at my wife every day and tell her how gorgeous she is, how beautiful, everything. I make her feel like a woman. Don't get me wrong: We do have our arguments because we're normal. But 98 percent of the time, I'm a man, and a man treats his woman like a queen. In return, I want the same thing. So that's respect for one another. That's why we have such a wonderful relationship. It's old-school values but in a modern way. I'm not, "Oh, babe sit here" and she has to cook and clean…Nah! It's traditional in the fact that we like to keep our family together but still, we're young, we go out. I got married young.

Glamour: How old were you when you got married?

Melissa: I was 24 when I met him, and I got married at 25. We got married within a year. We just knew. Instantly.

Glamour: It's so stressful watching the show sometimes!

Joe: Imagine being us!

Melissa: I know. I think that's why people are so into it—because it's about family and believe it or not, this [sisters-in-law having drama] happens everywhere. No one's crazy enough to put it on national TV, but it happens everywhere.

Glamour: Would you want some fresh blood to come in?

Melissa: They need to switch it up a little bit. I don't know if they'd actually take anyone out. But they have to be part of the family in some way, or it won't really make sense. It needs to be like somebody else's sister-in-law, you know?

Glamour: Can you suggest people?

Melissa: You can. I've suggested a couple people, but then they'll try them out and be like, "Ehhh…" They have to have some kind of tie-in or it seems random with our crew.

Catch The Real Housewives of New Jersey every Sunday night on Bravo at 8/7C and preorder a copy of Love Italian Style today!

This post has been updated.

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