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Giuliana Rancic will be on the red carpet for E! News before tonight’s Grammy Awards. As Rancic interviews some of the best musicians and entertainers in the business, many will be wondering about her personal life.
Rancic and her husband, Bill Rancic — who became a household name after his appearance on the original Apprentice television show — have one son together named Duke. Giuliana Rancic, 44, is close to her family, particularly her mom and dad, Anna and Eduardo DePandi. Giuliana Rancic has a brother named Pasquale and a sister named Monica.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. She Married Bill Rancic in Italy in 2007
Giuliana and Bill Rancic exchanged vows in a romantic ceremony held at the Church of Santa Sofia in Capri, Italy, back in 2007. Giuliana wowed in a strapless two-piece gown, custom designed for her by famed gown designer Monique Lhuillier.
Giuliana’s sister, Monica, served as her maid of honor for the Rancics’ big day. Bill Rancic remembered his late father, Ed, by having him serve as “honorary” best man.
“I lost my father several years back and he’s the honorary best man. We’ll have a candle up there as a tribute to him,” Bill told People Magazine over a decade ago. Just after the couple were pronounced man and wife, Giuliana’s brother, Pasquale, sang a beautiful rendition of “Ave Maria.”
After the ceremony, the wedding’s 190 guests were transported to the lavish reception, held at the Grand Hotel Quisisana.
“After the ceremony, the couple arranged for buses to take the 190 guests to Capri’s center piazza, where dozens of Neapolitan dancers were to sing and dance alongside the guests as they walked in a group, led by the bride and groom, to the reception… The menu included local Southern Italian fare – prosciutto and two pasta dishes – followed by a vanilla and cream wedding cake decorated with red rose petals flown in from Holland,” People Magazine reported.
2. Her Son Edward ‘Duke’ Was Born in 2012 via Surrogate
Giuliana Rancic knew that she wanted to be a mom, but she had a very difficult time getting pregnant. She and Bill ultimately decided to do fertility treatments. At this time, her doctor suggested that she have a mammogram. The results showed that Giuliana had breast cancer. Her doctor didn’t waste any time getting her in for treatment. She underwent a double mastectomy and immediate reconstructive surgery.
Giuliana was able to beat cancer, but getting pregnant and carrying a baby became even more complicated. For this reason, she and Bill decided to hire a surrogate. The couple welcomed son Edward Duke the following year.
“Bill and I are blessed beyond words to welcome Edward into our lives. Thank you so much to everyone who supported us along the way. We are so in love with the little guy already,” Giuliana Rancic told E! after Edward Duke’s arrival.
A now 6-years-old Duke makes frequent appearances on his parents’ social media accounts. In recent months, he also made an appearance — albeit an unexpected one — on E! News. Back in September, Duke basically crashed the set of E! News while his mom was on air with Jason Kennedy.
“Hi, honey. Mommy’s working,” she told Duke. “Literally, this was not planned,” she laughed, as she chased Duke around the set. You can check out the hilarious clip below.
Giuliana and Bill did want to have another baby but the surrogate they hired to carry their second baby ended up having a miscarriage.
“It was painful. We were so optimistic with this last embryo. We thought, ‘This is definitely going to work. This is our last shot,'” Giuliana Rancic told People Magazine in 2015.
3. Her Mom, Anna, Is Her BFF
Giuliana is especially close to her mom, Anna DePandi.
“Happy Birthday to my beautiful mother & true BFF @MamaDePandi. I thank God every night for you. I love you!” Giuliana Rancic captioned an Instagram photo of her mom on her birthday. And while Anna DePandi does indeed have her own Instagram account, she doesn’t really use it. She only has one photo — dated September 2017 — and it’s of her and her daughter.
“So happy to be on Instagram,” she captioned the pic.
Giuliana spends as much time as she can with both of her parents, whether in Los Angeles or in Chicago. Anna DePandi and Eduardo DePandi — who were both born and raised in Italy — have been married for 59 years this March.
4. Her Brother Is an Opera Singer & She’s Had a Rocky Relationship With Her Sister
Giuliana’s older brother Pasquale is a well-known opera singer from Italy. He moved to the States from Napoli, Italy, with Giuliana, their sister, Monica, and their parents, when he was young. He spoke about the transition during a 2015 interview with a blog called Italians in DC (the DePandi family initially settled in Maryland).
“My first impression coming to America was the difference in the streets, the [sheer] size of everything, the cars, homes, and the space was overwhelming compared to the small, narrow, and dark streets of my native city Napoli. I do remember how quiet it was. The transition for my family was difficult. We came here on a summer vacation and we never returned so you can imagine how difficult it must have been for a 10-year-old to leave friends, loved ones, and places I felt comfortable with and called home. Even though the transition was difficult, the choice was right and it was worth any sacrifices my parents made in order to start a new life here in Washington, DC,” Pasquale told the outlet.
Giuliana also has a sister, Monica, with whom she’s close. The two women have had their fair share of ups and downs, however. Back when Giuliana and Bill had their own reality show, for example, it was revealed that Giuliana and Monica hadn’t spoken for “several years.”
“Giuliana gets emotional when she asks the psychic about her sister Monica, who she hasn’t spoken to in several years. The psychic tells her that they will reconcile at some point but that Monica still needs more time,” E! News recapped at the time.
Fans took to social media to ask Giuliana about her relationship with Monica, and things were apparently already smoothed over. Check out Giuliana’s tweet on the matter below.
We are all good now. Sister’s have their moments:) She’s amazing!!! RT @IHeartMDNA74: @GiulianaRancic G what’s going on with Monica??
5. Her Father-in-Law, Ed, Died Following Cancer Complications & She Connected With Him on ‘Hollywood Medium’
Bill Rancic was understandably heartbroken when he lost his dad. Ed Rancic died after a relatively short battle with a “very advanced and aggressive” form of kidney cancer. He died shortly after a bone marrow transplant in 1999 — he was just 66 years old.
Last March, Giuliana Rancic was featured on an episode of The Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry. During her sit-down with Henry, she believes he connected with her late father-in-law, whom she had never met (he passed away before Giuliana and Bill met).
“I could tell my husband that [Ed] came through and that he’s looking over him,” Giuliana said in a clip of the show. You can check it out below.
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