Giuliana Rancic is a red carpet regular as co-anchor for E! News but away from the glitz and glamour, she has battled both breast cancer and infertility. She is a devoted mum to her one-year-old son Duke and a loving wife to her Apprentice winner husband Bill.Ahead of season six of Giuliana & Bill, the Hollywood power couple's reality TV show, the 39-year-old talks to HELLO! Online about how naturally motherhood came to her, dealing with breast cancer and infertility in the spotlight and her excitement at watching Prince George grow up.
What has been the highlight of parenthood so far?
I can't pick just one moment. Every second with Duke is a highlight for me. I have also loved watching Bill interact with Duke. He is such a wonderful, hands-on father and there is nothing more attractive than that. We feel like our family is complete now.
Is parenthood different to how you expected?
I don't think anyone can honestly say that parenthood is exactly what they expected. But, I will say that I am surprised by how naturally motherhood came to me. Everyone always told me it would, but I was sceptical. It's true, though! Somehow you just know what to do.
Who is the stricter parent?
Bill and I both do a pretty good job of teaching Duke what is right and wrong. He is still very young so he doesn't understand discipline right now, but we are pretty good about telling him "no" when he tries to throw dishes around or when he stomps his feet when he is mad or frustrated about something. Bill and I love being parents together and we truly look at it as teamwork.
What are you planning for Duke's first birthday?
We celebrated a little early with an incredible cowboy ranch themed birthday party in Malibu a few weeks ago. It was amazing! Our party planner, Liza Naguib from DessArt Designs, thought of everything! We had a petting zoo, live band and Crayola colouring stations. Duke had the best time and that is the most important thing. On his actual birthday, we will be with Bill's family at their lake house in Michigan. Duke loves to go out on the boat and hang out with his cousins.
What has Duke been like when he's been taken to the E! Studios? Did he enjoy it and did he distract you?
I love having Duke with me at the E! Studios! Our incredible interior designer Lonni Paul designed a gorgeous nursery space for him at E! and Duke loves it in there. It's great because when I have little breaks between shoots I can run over to the nursery and spend some time with him. He is such a good baby and I can't get enough of him!
What's the subject that fans most want to talk to you about and why?
Most people that come up to talk to me if they see me on the street or out somewhere always want to talk about baby Duke. He's quite the scene stealer!
Your book, I Do, Now What?, talks about married life. What's the best piece of advice you would give to newlyweds?
I recently caused a little debate in the press when I gave an interview and said that Bill and I put our marriage first, but we truly believe that having a strong marriage is the most important thing for our family. We are the first relationship that Duke is going to see and if we show him a healthy, loving relationship from the beginning, his future relationships will certainly benefit. Our philosophy is to teach by example.
Were you interested in the arrival of Prince George?
Of course! Who wasn't interested?! The whole world was watching that hospital waiting for William and Kate to step out with Prince George for the first time. It was a full circle moment for me because I was actually in London covering the Royal Wedding for E! and now, they have a baby! They are such a beautiful family and I can't wait to watch them grow!
TV cameras have documented you dealing with both breast cancer and infertility. Has there ever been a moment when you've had to ask the cameras to stop or cut filming?
No, never. For me, the decision to go public and document my struggle with infertility and my breast cancer diagnosis was a very difficult one, but I realised that if I got through to even one woman about the importance of self examinations and mammograms to catch breast cancer at an early stage, then it was worth it. There is no greater feeling in the world than when a woman comes up to me and says that she got her first mammogram because she heard my story.
What is it like when women come up and tell you that you've inspired them to get checked for breast cancer?
Bill and I decided before season one of Giuliana & Bill that we were going to be honest and accurately show our lives. We have been touched by so many people who have come up to us and thanked us for sharing our fertility struggles and my cancer diagnosis because it helped them. That’s the best feeling in the world and it just reaffirms that we made the right decision to share our story.
You must have an even greater respect for surrogate mothers now?
Oh, absolutely! Bill and I always say we hit the jackpot with our surrogate Delphine and we can never repay her for the incredible gift she gave us.
What sort of feedback have you got from fans about your decision to have a surrogate mother?
Everyone has been so supportive throughout our journey to have a baby and Duke is our little miracle.
You've been quoted as saying that you think things happen for a reason and that you were giving your job to give you a platform to speak about causes?
I absolutely believe that everything happens for a reason. If I could go back in time and choose whether or not I was diagnosed with breast cancer of course I would avoid it at all costs, but that is not the way life works. I have so many incredible platforms to reach millions of people: E! News, Fashion Police, my reality show Giuliana & Bill, my clothing line G by Giuliana Rancic on HSN and my social media accounts. It would be such a waste not to try to reach out to people through those various platforms in an effort to help them. Helping others is actually what gave me a ton of strength as I was going through these struggles.
After you've made a comment about a celebrity's style choice on Fashion Police, have you ever had them come up to and speak to you about it?
There was one time when I criticized one of Tina Fey's look on a red carpet and she actually came up to me a few weeks later on a different red carpet and said "Oh you're the one who took a huge dump on my last outfit on Fashion Police!" She totally called me out, but she was a good sport about it! And it's important to mention that she has looked better and better on every red carpet since my constructive criticism!
When Duke gets older, do you see yourself living in Chicago or LA or both?
Bill and I definitely want to be based in Chicago in the future. We love it there and that is where we see ourselves long term.
Giuliana & Bill Season 6 premieres tonight on Style at 8pm and every Tuesday thereafter