Real Housewives stars Teresa and Joe Giudice pictured together for first time in 3 years as marriage hangs in balance

REAL Housewives stars Teresa and Joe Guidice have been pictured for the first time in three years after he was imprisoned 41 months ago and deported to Italy.

The New Jersey reality star shared the picture alongside his wife - who he's been married to for 20 years - and daughters Gia, 18, Milania, 13, Gabriella, 15, and Audriana, 10.

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Gia captioned the image: "We're back!"

Joe now lives in Naples, Italy, as he waits to see if his appeal against his deportation from the United States is successful.

The fate of their marriage is riding on the reunion after they both told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that they are at a crossroads in their marriage.

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Teresa said: “I’m waiting until I get there to see if I feel differently,” Teresa said.

“I just feel like when you live apart.…He says the same thing, when he sees me, he may not want this either. We’ll know when we see each other.”

Both Teresa and Joe maintained that they still love each other.

“Of course, she’s my wife. I’ve been with her a long time. No matter what happens, I’ll always love her,” Joe said.

“I do love him as a person,” Teresa said. “I’ll start crying. I do care about him, I love him.”

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The reality star explained that her kids understood the choice: “I think they get it. I don’t think they want to see it happen, obviously, but I think they understand.

"Because the way I explained it to them, how are we going to live apart? I don’t think he would be faithful. I think he would have someone there and have me here. I just don’t want to live that life.”

“If we stay together, we stay together, if we don’t, we don’t,” Joe, who is living in his grandmother’s home in Sala Consilina, Salerno in Italy, said.

“It’s a conversation, we’ll see. … As long as she’s happy, that’s all that really matters. I’m not going to tell her what to do. If she doesn’t feel like she wants to be with me anymore, then that’s the thing to do," he added.