Dina says Danielle tried to get Lexi taken from her

Article from NY Daily News.

BY Cristina Everett
Dina Manzo has made it no secret that her surprising departure during this season's "Real Housewives of New Jersey" was the result of her never-ending feud with cast mate Danielle Staub.

However according to the former reality star, catty fights and gossip were not the only reasons for her sudden absence.

Manzo, 40, reveals to Life & Style that the real reason she walked away from the hit reality show was because Staub tried to have her daughter taken away.

During the show's first season in 2008, Manzo's daughter, Lexi, then 12, required parental permission to join the cast. Both Manzo and her ex-husband gave their permission.

"My ex husband was well aware of Lexi's involvement in the show," Manzo told the mag. "She would often call him with details after a day of shooting."

However once the show aired and her ex saw the content, he allegedly decided he wanted Lexi off the air. It was this moment, according to Manzo, when Staub began to spread malicious lies in an attempt to turn Lexi's dad against the reality star.

"She told my ex's family that I'd actually forged his signature on the contracts, which I did not," Manzo said. "She knew she could work on his emotions, so she supplied him with every phone number of everybody he'd need to follow through with a lawsuit - contacts at Bravo, our production crew and her attorneys."

Fortunately for Manzo, her ex-husband didn't believe Staub's tales and never went forward with filing a lawsuit.

"She thought more would come of it, like I could lose custody," Manzo explained. "She just wanted to hurt me."

Manzo said that Staub, 47, continued to spread lies about her and by the time they were filming the June 21 episode, she felt as if she had no choice but to quit the show.

"Now she's telling people my ex-husband is suing me and that Bravo fired me because of that," she claimed, adding that Staub has been spreading new lies that Manzo's current husband, Tommy, left her and lives with a younger girlfriend.

"Tommy lives right here with me and is happy as a clam," she said. "Things are better than ever."