Kenya Moore encouraged me to do ‘DWTS’ after prison

Teresa Giudice finally said “yes” to doing “Dancing With the Stars,” thanks to her good pal and fellow “Housewife” Kenya Moore.

While speaking to Page Six via Zoom on Thursday – following the official Season 31 cast reveal on “Good Morning America” – Giudice, 50, said she reached out to Moore, 51, before making her decision.

“We just did the ‘Ultimate Girls Trip’ together, and that’s my girl! We have never worked together before, and then she, like, stuck up for me against Ramona [Singer],” the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star told us, referring to the time Singer, 65, called her a brainless “scarecrow.”

“I was like, ‘Wow! Like, I love that!’ So, she’s my girl for life,” she added. “We have good energy together, so I called her.”

Giudice knew Moore would be the perfect person to speak with about the opportunity, seeing as she just competed on the show last season with pro dancer Brandon Armstrong, following in the footsteps of “Housewives” like Erika Jayne, Lisa Vanderpump and NeNe Leakes.

“I was like, ‘I’ve been asked to be on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ what do you think? Should I do it?’ And she’s like, ‘Definitely, you should do it, you’re going to love it,’” Giudice recalled of her conversation with Moore.

“She’s like, ‘You’re in good shape, you’re going to get into even better shape.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I love that. That’s music to my ears.’”

Moore warned her, however, that doing the show is also “a lot of work.”

“She’s like, ‘Get ready,’” the New Jersey native said. “But I’m a hard worker so … I’m ready to put in all the hard work that I need to.”

Giudice, who’s paired with Pasha Pashkov this season, previously turned down the offer to do “DWTS” in 2016.

At the time, she had just been released from a federal prison in Danbury, Conn., following nearly a year behind bars after she and her now ex-husband, Joe Giudice, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud in March 2014.

“It’s better now, because – I hate to say the word, prison – but I got asked to be on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ as soon as I came home. And I remember I was struggling with it,” she admitted.

“The kids were still young and I just got home and I didn’t want to leave them … I was very torn. But then I couldn’t do it anyway because I had to be on Bravo first [for ‘RHONJ’].”

Now, years later, it all worked out, and Giudice feels like her casting was “meant to be.” She gushed to Page Six about the official cast announcement falling on the same day as her late father Giacinto Gorga’s birthday.

“It’s been a dream come true because I’ve been watching ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ I mean, forever. I watched it when my dad was living with me, with my dad. And today’s my dad’s birthday,” she shared. “So it really was meant to be. So, yeah, he’s looking down on me and I know he’s really proud.”

In addition to Moore, Teresa also looked to her own children for inspiration. The reality star shares four daughters — Gia, 21, Gabriella, 18, Milania, 16, and Audriana, 12 — with Joe.

“I started all four of my girls dancing since they were 2-and-a-half [years old]. And the only one that’s still competitively dancing now is Audriana,” she explained, noting that her youngest gave her the “best” advice, as she has “no dance experience” herself.

“She said to make sure you have fun, enjoy every moment, feel your partner’s energy, and don’t be scared … just dance like it’s your last time dancing. Make the best of it, which I thought was so cute.”

The all-new season of “Dancing With the Stars” premieres Monday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.