'Real Housewives of New Jersey' season 7 cast: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, and Jacqueline Laurita to return

The seventh season of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is slated to air this year and the show will see the return of familiar faces to the hit Bravo series. According to The Daily Dish, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, and Jacqueline Laurita will be returning for the new season. Additional cast members and a premiere date are still to be announced.

Giudice's return to the show will be one of the highlights of the season as the cookbook author has just finished
serving a 12-month prison sentence for fraud at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut. According to Bravo, season 7 will pick up more than a year after the season 6 finale, which aired in November 2014, and will show the 43-year-old trying to repair her relationships with brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa. Jacqueline will also be hoping to mend her friendship with the mother of four.

Bravo cameras were rolling when Teresa arrived home after being released from prison on Dec. 23. In the first teaser for the new season, Teresa starts to get teary-eyed when she sees her daughters Gia, Audriana, Gabriella, and Milania, and her husband Joe says, "Hi honey, welcome home" before embracing her.

"I am very excited to go back," Teresa told The Daily Dish about the upcoming season. "For me, this season is all about letting go of the past and embracing the future. People are calling me Teresa 2.0."

Meanwhile, Jacqueline, who took a hiatus from the show last season, said that she "can't get enough" of her Bravo family.

"Sometimes a little break is all I need to jump back in and bring my best! Looking forward to new beginnings," said the mother of three.

As for Melissa, she said in a statement that for her, this season is "all about family, fun, friendships, and fashion."

"I can't wait for you to see what we've been up to and how much our kids have grown," she continued.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" will return later this year on Bravo.