In an exclusive interview with In Touch, Caroline Manzo shares her true feelings about reality TV and fame — including how she is doing post-Real Housewives of New Jersey.

“Fame is nonsense,” she says. “The minute it starts affecting your life in a negative way, you have to walk away.”

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“The reality TV thing is my job, nothing more,” insists the 55-year-old mom of three (Albie, 30, Lauren, 28, and Chris, 27) with her husband of 32 years, Al, 56. “You can’t let fame go to your head, and you can never forget where you came from.”

“I’m just a regular mom from New Jersey,” she adds. “The person you see on television is the person you’re going to meet face to face.”

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Post-RHONJ, she says is “very happy now” and says she is having a great time filming her new show with her family. “I love doing Manzo’d. It’s a completely different animal,” she says. “It’s a lighter feeling.”

For the full interview with Caroline Manzo, including how she feels about becoming a grandmother, pick up the latest issue of In Touch, on newsstands now!

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