It's been nearly three weeks since Teresa Giudice began her 15-month prison sentence for multiple counts of fraud. So how is she coping? By all accounts, she's holding her head up high.

In her first interview since her mother was remanded, Gia Giudice is speaking out about visiting her mother in the Danbury, Conn. facility.

"She's doing great!" Gia tells E! News. "Honestly, it was amazing [visiting her]. She looked so good! It's nothing like anyone would expect. She looked so amazing. It was so good seeing her! She had her makeup done. It was fun."

Gia also opened up about her strong bond to Teresa and explained what life was like at home before her mother began her sentence. "Me and my mom are extremely close," she says. "We're like sisters. Honestly, I was with her every step of the way. There were things she didn't tell me. But I was with her every step of the way."

Though Gia is without Teresa's daily presence, the 14-year-old is getting support from her father, three sisters—and her new girl group, 3KT. Of focusing on music with her friends, Alexa Maetta and Cristianna Cardinale, Gia says simply, "It means a lot."

And she has her mother to thank for that resolve: "She kept me the person I am today," Gia says, "and made me so strong."

[Source: E! News]