Janine Detore is commemorating her late sister, “Mob Wives” star Angela “Big Ang” Raiola, in words.
Detore recently told Page Six that she is in the middle of putting together a book about Raiola, who died of brain and lung cancer in 2016, to “take [fans] through the life that we had together.”
“It’s bittersweet for me because I went on every journey with my sister and I am writing a book about it,” she said. “So every time my sister became a grandmother, I was there. When my sister became the breakout star of ‘Mob Wives,’ I was there. When she had her children, I was there. I’ve never been on — I’m going to be 52 in June — I’ve never been on a vacation before without my sister. So even the thought of that is making me sick right now. We shared birthdays because I’m June 28. She’s June 30. So, the last two birthdays I’ve been alone. Well really not alone, but without her.”
Choking up, she told us, “So it’s kind of bittersweet now because there’s so much exciting things happening and I can’t share them with her. But I do think she’s helping me from the other side.”
On a lighter note, Detore remembered when she and Raiola were pregnant together, and said Raiola was even in the room with her when she gave birth.
“She carried much better than me,” Detore said. “I looked like a moose and she looked like a movie star, even back then! You couldn’t even tell she was pregnant at 5, 6 months, and you could see me come from a block away!”
But fans won’t see Detore writing the book on her new show, CNBC’s “Staten Island Hustle.”
“The show didn’t really know about the book until about two weeks ago,” she said. “I kept it quiet from a lot of people because it’s something that I do at night when I’m alone. I can’t write when people are around. When I’m getting pictures out because I want them to see us growing up. And I think I’m going to put the meatball recipe in it. She may haunt me, but I think I’m going to put it in!”
Raiola, 55, passed away after finding reality TV fame. A mural later went up on the side of Detore’s boutique, Country Mouse, to honor Raiola.
“It’s still there,” Detore told us of the artwork that was condemned by local residents. “I will fight until my last breath to keep it there — trust me.”
“Staten Island Hustle” premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. on CNBC.