Sammi 'Sweetheart' Giancola did not love spending time with ex-boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.
The two reunited with their former cast members for the new season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, but the 36-year-old admitted she was not super comfortable filming with the father-of-one, 38, after their roller-coaster relationship officially ended in 2014.
"I, of course, was not fond of filming with an ex-boyfriend," Giancola revealed in a recent interview. "You’re going to see me basically navigate that and you’re going to see it all play out. But, of course, I knew eventually that this would happen. And you’re going to just see, I guess, my reaction."
The reality stars began dating during the show's first season in 2009. Over the years, fans got a front-row seat to the tumultuous dynamic between them. However, the boutique owner did her best to put their differences aside for the reunion.
"I knew if I was going to do the show again that he would eventually be there, or there would be a situation where Ron and I would have to work together," Giancola said in a 2023 interview. "He's a part of the family like everybody else, so I look at it more like he's a coworker and I'm working with him, and he's just some guy I dated in my 20s."
"I learned a lot from that relationship. I think to not waste time on the wrong people, because all we have left is time. And it's like, you don't want to waste years on the wrong person and always have self-respect," she added as she looked back on their rocky romance.
Giancola and Ortiz-Magro have both moved on from the failed relationship, as the Bronx native welcomed daughter Ariana Sky, now 5, with ex Jen Harley in 2018. For her part, the brunette beauty has been dating her boyfriend, Justin May, since November 2021.
"He's truly amazing. I just love him so much. He's very supportive and him being the way that he is made it a lot easier for me to decide to come back in general. It's kind of like a breath of fresh air, like I didn't have to worry about him," Giancola said of her current partner.
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"He was like, 'Go for it. I support you.' He's very supportive and he's awesome and I'm so thankful for that, to be honest with you," she continued of going back on the show. "You're going to see him a lot on this next season and I'm excited for you all to see him, because he's really like a great influence in my life and he's just, he's amazing."
E! News conducted the interview with Giancola about Ortiz-Magro.
Too Fab conducted the interview with Giancola.
