Friends support friends. Double Shot at Love and Jersey Shore stars DJ Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino spoke exclusively with Life & Style about their costar Angelina Pivarnick‘s battle with depression, and of course, the guys totally have her back.
Watch the video below for Life & Style’s exclusive interview with Pauly and Vinny, and scroll through the gallery for more about Angelina’s mental health.
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Though Vinny, 31, and Pauly, 38, have been longtime friends with the 32-year-old EMT worker, her mental health struggles came as a big surprise to the bros — turns out, the guys found out about her situation on the Internet, like most people did.
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“This was news to me that Angelina was struggling. I feel bad,” Pauly told Life & Style. “I had no idea and I had to find out on social media, so I didn’t know she was going through a hard time. I feel bad.”
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Vinny also revealed the Jersey Shore alum didn’t initially reach out to him for support, either. “No, never, personally,” he explained. “We didn’t see any of that on the show as well.” Neither did viewers, as Angelina played things pretty close to the vest on Family Vacation.
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When asked if they’ve reached out since the reveal, Pauly gave us a hopeful answer. “Yeah, we see her often, she seems okay,” he revealed. “She just bought a house.” Whoa! Good for you, girl.
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We’re really glad to hear the reality star is making some moves and positive strides in her life — a new house is big! Plus, she’s got a loving fiancé, Chris Larangeira, to share it with.
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Courtesy of Angelina Pivarnick/Instagram
“She felt that that was her time to come out,” Pauly praised his costar and friend. “So I give her a lot of credit for speaking publicly about it.” Vinny also sent her a message of solidarity. “We all have our own things that we deal with in our personal life,” he said.
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He’s definitely right about that — and Angelina is dealing with a lot. On March 1, the MTV star revealed her struggle with depression to Life & Style exclusively. “I’ve been struggling with depression due to a lot going on in my life,” she said. “And sometimes it doesn’t even have to be anything, I just get depressed out of nowhere.”
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“A lot has to do with my job,” she explained. We know everyone goes through workplace stressors, but Angelina’s struggle is actually a bit different, due to the nature of her work.
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“To be honest, I got injured on the job trying to save a life,” she explained. Back in November 2017, Angelina lifted a 450-pound patient and is still struggling with an injury as a result.
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Courtesy of Angelina Pivarnick/Instagram
“I tore my whole back, and I was never the same. I still hold the job as a [Fire Department of New York] EMT,” she revealed, but noted she’s been taking it easy on the job ever since the incident. “It’s been a struggle. I am not the same.”
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Angelina had been keeping her mental health issues so on lock that even fans and followers were unaware of the struggles — similar to how even close pals Pauly and Vinny were in the dark. “Fans don’t know [that I struggle with depression],” she said. “It’s a lot to deal with. I sleep at 6 p.m. most nights from depression.”
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Courtesy of Angelina Pivarnick/Instagram
“No one knows [how much it can] affect your relationships at home with your loved ones and just you as a person,” she explained. She has specifically struggled with her connection to her fiancé.
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“We have been through our ups and downs. My relationship is hurting because I’m not the same right now,” Angelina revealed back in March. “We aren’t sexual at the moment because of my depression.”
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Courtesy of Angelina Pivarnick/Instagram
“Like I said, it can affect a lot,” she explained the struggle. Thankfully, her future husband has her back no matter what. “I am thankful for Chris, my dog, Peanut, and my three rescue cats.”
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Angie spoke about seeking help, though she thinks it may take a little time to really start feeling better. “I just started talking to someone, and I still feel like it’s not helping,” she said. “Maybe because it’s new.”
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But either way, she wants others battling the same types of mental illnesses to pursue the help they really need. “I want people out there to know they aren’t alone and to get the help they need,” she said, even offering up her DMs to fans and followers. “If they ever want to talk, message me.”
