Renee Graziano has had a tough few months. Despite the success of Mob Wives, her family drama has been a nightmare for the reality star. Renee’s ex-husband Junior Pagan (who she decided to reconcile with) was arrested, and shortly after that, so was her father. It soon emerged that Junior had “snitched” to the FBI about Anthony Graziano, after framing him. Renee is speaking out about her family being in shambles and how she is handling the betrayal.
“I felt like someone pulled my heart out of my body,” Renee says of her reaction when she learned of Junior’s November arrest. And the feelings exploded once she learned that “her knight in shining armor” was wearing a wire and had snitched to the DEA about her father. Junior is now reportedly in the witness protection program, while Renee’s father remains in custody for extortion.
Renee believed Junior wanted to reconcile with her to rebuild their family, but now she knows he was using her to get to her father. “I thought Junior came back because he loved me,” she shares with Us Weekly (via their print edition). “Little did I know, it was a big lie.”
Despite her shock over Junior’s arrest, Renee says she knew something was amiss. “Junior and I had been fighting – he was getting calls from an ex-girlfriend – and we hardly spoke over the weekend. Monday he was gone,” she says of how the drama began.
“When I saw an envelope downstairs, my first thought was, Junior left me,” Renee shares. “But his letter said he had turned himself in and hoped I would find somebody better. I was shocked.”
“That night I was on the phone with my cousin, who was at my dad’s house. I heard the doorbell there and somebody said ‘It’s the police!’ They took my dad,” she recalls. “Within hours, my father and my ex-husband were ripped out of my life. I had to protect my son.”
Initially, Renee didn’t believe the rumors that Junior was responsible for her father’s arrest, but then Junior called and personally confirmed that he was the culprit. “He admitted he was the snitch. The f-word must have come out of my mouth a thousand times. It was inconceivable.”
“Honestly Junior ratting out my dad is the last thing in the world I would have expected. He was the son my father never had.”
Renee reveals that her heartbreak soon turned to depression. “I was suicidal,” she confesses. Renee suffered from a nervous breakdown in late January. “I couldn’t breathe, my body was shutting down and my anxiety was insane. I felt like I was going to die. I think I spent six days in the hospital”
However, there was a positive to all the drama – her co-stars came together to support her. “The girls from the show were there for me.” she reveals. “They stepped up and were ready to protect. I love them very much.”
Unfortunately, Renee’s harrowing experience has made it impossible for her to trust again, although she is ready to move on. “I want to believe there are good guys out there,” she says. “But if Junior walked into the room right now, I would make sure I got a clear shotgun right in his face. I set his letter on fire not to long ago, along with his clothes and his pictures.”
Despite her rage, Renee is ready to forgive and move forward.”I actually have found forgiveness,” Renee confirmed, while fighting back tears. “If I don’t forgive, you’ll have hate . . . Forgive, but never forget.”
Viewers watched the drama first-hand on last week’s episode and will see the continuation on next Sunday’s episode.
WOULD YOU FORGIVE JUNIOR? DID HE USE HER TO GET TO HER FATHER? ARE YOU IMPRESSED WITH HOW WELL RENEE IS HOLDING IT TOGETHER?
