In the words of The Situation, the comeback is always greater than the setback—and it sounds like Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is gearing up for a return of his own.
Three months after stepping away from the reality-TV franchise that made him a household name, the Jersey Shore star revealed that his sobriety is going strong. "I feel great. Four months sober, quit drinking," he told TMZ. "Got engaged, full-time father, you know, living a good life, bro."
The TV personality also addressed his exit from the show, telling the website, "I stepped away from it to deal with my mental health, be a father to my child, be a fiancé to my woman. You know, I'll be back and all the fans love me and I love them, too, so I'm gonna give them what they want and I'll see them soon."
Elaborating on a possible return, he said he stays in contact with producers on the hit MTV series and that his ride on the show is "definitely not over." According to the 35-year-old dad, he may be back with his TV family as soon as the end of the current season.
Earlier this year, he made the announcement that he would be exiting the show to focus on his mental health. "After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that I've ignored for too long," his statement read. "My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on," Ortiz-Magro continued. "This process will be difficult but my #1 priority is to get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can for my daughter." He shares 3-year-old daughter Ariana with ex Jen Harley.
The news came shortly after he was arrested in Los Angeles on April 22 on charges of intimate partner violence with injury. The LA City Attorney's office later confirmed to E! News that it filed a probation violation in lieu of filing a new case against the reality star.
"We are very happy that after further investigation both the LA County District Attorney's office and the LA City Attorney's office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April," his lawyers said in a statement. "As we previously stated, there was a rush to judgment by the media."
A month later, Ortiz-Magro had reason to celebrate as he proposed to his girlfriend Saffire Matos. "I said yes!! to my best friend," she announced in a June 21 Instagram post. "I love you."