The Untold Truth Of Giuliana Rancic

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Whether you've watched her on your TV screen interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, you've been to one of her restaurants, or you've purchased a product from her never-ending list of brands, you probably recognize the name Giuliana Rancic. Although the bubbly TV star lives a seemingly glamorous life with her husband, Bill Rancic, and their adorable son, Edward Duke, who goes by "Duke," she has sure had her fair share of obstacles to overcome (via People). From moving to America at age 7 as an Italian immigrant to her breast cancer diagnosis and public struggle with expanding her family, you can't say that she isn't tough or that she's afraid of a challenge.

Even though her official website says she's won a Daytime Emmy Award, amassed over 10 million followers on her social media platforms, and has two decades of experience interviewing stars on E! News, there's still a lot to learn about the journalist, entrepreneur, author, and mother. Keep reading to learn the untold truth of Giuliana Rancic.

Giuliana Rancic's ex-boyfriend introduced her to her husband

After Bill Rancic won "The Apprentice," Giuliana Rancic met him at an NBC News party she attended with her then-boyfriend. As it turns out, she was a huge fan of the reality star, telling HuffPost, "I would watch ['The Apprentice'] with my girlfriend Colette every week, and Colette's like, 'You need to marry him.' I'm like, 'I do need to marry him,'" she said. As Giuliana explained to Us Weekly, she "freaked out" when she first saw Bill at the NBC party, saying, "My boyfriend at the time was like, 'You're going to die. Bill Rancic just walked in.'"

The entertainment journalist was later given the opportunity to interview Bill for E! News, and the two were immediately smitten. "So that's why when the assignment came up at E! I was all over that," she explained to the HuffPost.

Years later, the power couple has been married for over a decade!

She found out she had breast cancer through IVF treatments

Giuliana Rancic had a very public battle trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment on her reality show, "Giuliana & Bill." However, according to "Today," before she started treatment in 2011, her doctor insisted that Rancic get a mammogram. She shared with "Today" that this was her third time attempting IVF in an attempt to get pregnant, so Rancic was hesitant at first. In fact, the entertainment host revealed she "had to be dragged 'kicking and screaming'" to the appointment.

Luckily, according to "Today," Rancic eventually did get the test, which uncovered an early stage of breast cancer. Rancic shared the importance of getting mammograms in her interview. "A lot of us think we're invincible ... but we have to start putting ourselves on the to-do list," she said. After a friend called and asked Rancic what she could do for her, Rancic says she told her friend, "'Just call your doctor tomorrow and make an appointment. That's what you could do for me.' ... I will be okay because I found it early.'" Sounds like sound advice!

Giuliana Rancic has a successful skincare company

Although you might recognize Giuliana Rancic from E! News, "Fashion Police," or her reality show "Giuliana & Bill," she and her husband, Bill Rancic, own several businesses together, and Giuliana has even ventured out on her own, launching a skincare line, Fountain of Truth.

In an interview with L'Oréal's skincare blog, Giuliana shared how being involved and testing every single product herself was very important to her when creating the products. "I have been involved in every single aspect of the creation of Fountain of Truth from day one," she said. "In fact, today, someone who I am working with (and who has been in the beauty industry for decades) told me she has never seen a founder so involved in every aspect of their line."

This dedication to hard work has allowed the entrepreneur's line of products to appear in popular department stores, including all 1,140 Ulta Beauty locations, according to Rancic herself on her blog.

Giuliana and Bill Rancic donated over $100,000 worth of STEM toys to children in Chicago

In an interview with Parenting via email, Giuliana and Bill Rancic shared that their son, Duke, had developed an early interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities in school, leading the couple to become interested in the subject as well. The Rancics explained to the magazine that they teamed up with Learning Resources, an educational children's toy company, to donate STEM toys — over $100,000 worth — to Chicago public schools. The pair shared, "We were so proud to be a part of the event," in which 150 of the deserving children were in attendance.

However, the Rancics' enthusiasm for STEM doesn't end there. They told Parenting that Duke isn't the only one who loves playing with the Beaker Creatures. "We love being in the lab aka our kitchen alongside Duke and playing and learning together as a family," they said.

The entertainment journalist secretly applied to graduate school

After Giuliana Rancic earned her undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, as she told The Washington Post, Rancic's parents did not expect her to pursue another degree. In fact, they thought she would marry her college boyfriend and join his family's business, forgetting her journalism degree altogether. However, Rancic secretly applied to American University for her master's degree, got accepted, and attended classes for a full month before telling her parents.

In an interview with Capitol File, the now-professional journalist explained how she wanted to pursue a graduate degree at a university in the heart of Washington, D.C., to "experience reporting in the nation's capital." "I wouldn't have been able to get that kind of experience at many other schools," Rancic said. "Being part of that program gave me a solid foundation and truly shaped me as a journalist."

Giuliana Rancic originally wanted to cover 'hard news'

With her bubbly personality, it's hard to imagine Giuliana Rancic on any other channel but E! News covering our favorite celebrities, but, according to The Washington Post, Rancic was originally interested in "hard news." As an Italian immigrant who struggled to learn English when she moved with her parents to Maryland in elementary school, Rancic's father, Eduardo DePandi, shared that she would watch the news to learn the language and quickly became obsessed.

Rancic went on to obtain both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism and broadcast journalism, respectively. According to her website, the journalist even held an internship with a Capitol Hill news bureau, where she covered stories on the White House, the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, and the U.S. State Department.

In her interview with The Washington Post, Rancic recalled that her true calling quickly revealed itself after she turned in a class assignment to a grad school professor that was supposed to be about a hearing at the Pentagon. Instead, Rancic decided to write about her struggle to find the room where the hearing was held, leading her professor to recommend she move to Los Angeles following graduation.

Giuliana Rancic was fired from E! News early on in her career

After Giuliana Rancic graduated from American University with her master's degree, she moved to Los Angeles, where she struggled to find a journalism job for about two or three years. Finally, she was conditionally hired at E! News as a reporter, according to The Washington Post. In an interview with Us Weekly, Rancic described how, after an interview aired in which she asked "That 70s Show" star Wilmer Valderrama whether or not the actor had ever been involved with an older woman, she was fired.

Luckily, after some time passed, the network rehired her as a full-time correspondent — only once they saw how much attention the interview had gained (via The Washington Post). And the rest is history. Although Rancic officially stepped down as a reporter on E! when the network moved its offices from Los Angeles to New York City in 2020, as Us Weekly noted, Rancic still has almost two decades worth of memorable moments and hilarious stories from her time with the network.

She started an organization for women battling breast cancer

Giuliana Rancic has been candid about her experience with breast cancer and her struggles with self-confidence that she felt as a result, which inspired the idea for FAB-U-WISH. In partnership with The Pink Agenda, Rancic's organization creates "special moments" for women with breast cancer by granting wishes "that help women with breast cancer embrace their fabulous selves."

In an interview for Capitol File, the breast cancer survivor shared her mission for launching the organization. "Fab-U-Wish was a way to give back to other women going through breast cancer, but really tied to my own experience," she said, explaining how, following a double mastectomy, she returned to work for the first time with her hair and makeup done while wearing a "pretty dress," and looked at herself in the mirror. "It was the first time in a very long time I recognized the person looking back at me," she shared.

Giuliana Rancic has her own clothing line and wine brand

As an entrepreneur, Giuliana Rancic has multiple companies that she's involved with, including her clothing line with HSN, called G by Giuliana Rancic, and a wine brand called XO, G.

The entertainment host-turned-designer established her clothing line as one that's both functional and cute for women from all backgrounds. In an interview with CBS News, Rancic shared, "The best part about having a clothing line with HSN is you can get your clothes to a lot of women. So many women enjoy the clothes and it's a price point many women can afford. I'm all about that." When her clothing line experienced rapid success, Rancic ventured further into the retail space by creating a home decor line with interior designer Lonni Paul (via E! News).

On the other hand, Rancic's XO, G is unlike any kind of wine you've seen before. According to People, instead of selling whole bottles of wine, the entrepreneur stacks four individual glasses of wine together. XO, G is sold at Walmart, where you can find individual glasses of rosé, pinot noir, and pinot grigio.

She credits her father for her strong work ethic

As an entrepreneur, mother, and so much more, Giuliana Rancic has to learn how to balance many aspects of her life. In an interview with Brian Lord on the podcast "Beyond Speaking," Rancic shared how she learned the value of hard work from her father, who worked as a tailor since he was 11 years old. "I have an incredible sense of work ethic from my father," she said. "Just being with him working day in, day out."

In an interview with Forbes, Rancic shared her No. 1 tip for achieving success: "Be the first one to arrive at the office and the last one to leave." This kind of dedication has likely led to many incredible opportunities for the career-driven girl boss, including appearing in movie scenes (like 2009's "Bring it On: Fight to the Finish"), hosting the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, and much more.

The journalist-turned-entrepreneur originally wanted to be a model in her younger years

Believe it or not, a young Giuliana Rancic dreamed of becoming a model and begged for her parents to enroll her in modeling training with Barbizon Modeling. According to E! News, Rancic's modeling aspirations ended quickly when the Barbizon photographer categorized her as "an athletic wear model for ... catalogs." As Rancic shared in her book "Going Off Script: How I Survived a Crazy Childhood, Cancer, and Clooney's 32 On-Screen Rejections," "It was bad enough I was being told I was a catalog model, but to be told I would basically be modeling for the Sports Authority's newspaper inset was even more of a blow than modeling mediocre fashion pieces in the annual Spiegel catalog" (per E! News).

Although Rancic didn't exactly achieve her childhood dream, she still was able to get plenty of on-camera practice with her job as a red carpet correspondent for E! News.

Her net worth is estimated at $30 million

With several entrepreneurial ventures and a career as a television host and reality TV star, Giuliana Rancic's net worth is pretty astounding. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rancic is estimated to be worth a whopping $30 million.

If you're surprised by this, it's probably because you don't know just how many projects Rancic has undertaken. She has diversified her streams of income to span several industries, including entertainment, publishing, restaurants, retail, beauty, and even real estate (via her website).

Rancic and husband Bill Rancic are also known to flip houses. In 2019, the duo sold their home in the Gold Coast district of Chicago for $5 million after purchasing it in 2013 for $2.125 million (via the Chicago Tribune). In another real estate venture, the Chicago Tribune reports that the Rancics paid $7.675 million for a mansion in the Brentwood, California, neighborhood of Los Angeles, in December 2019.

Giuliana Rancic has written three books

Adding to Giuliana Rancic's extensively long resumé, she is also the author of three books: "Going Off Script: How I Survived a Crazy Childhood, Cancer, and Clooney's 32 On-Screen Rejections," "I Do, Now What?: Secrets, Stories, and Advice from a Madly-in-Love Couple," which she wrote with her husband, Bill Rancic, and her first, "Think Like a Guy: How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One," which she published in 2005 under her maiden name, Giuliana DePandi, before she got married.

While Giuliana's first two books focus on dating and relationships, with the one she co-authored with her husband, delving into the couple's relationship, including how they met and how they manage splitting their time between different cities (via USA Today), "Going Off Script" is even more personal. In it, she documents her breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy — something incredibly vulnerable and difficult to write about (via Penguin Random House). According to USA Today, when announcing the release of her memoir, she made a statement, saying, "It has been a true privilege to help people feel less alone by sharing my own hardships. There is still so much I haven't shared that I hope will inspire people." We look forward to it!