A Hefty Net Worth
It should come as no surprise to learn that this Food Network chef has a hefty net worth. In fact, it’s been noted that her net worth lies at around $20 million!
A True Passion
Giada has loved cooking for as long as she can remember, but she never made it her mission to pursue as a career. She initially studied social anthropology at college and even earned her bachelor’s degree. However, she just couldn’t ignore the burning passion in her stomach and knew she had to cook.
The Next Step
Because of this, Giada made a tough decision after graduation. She could either enter into a career within the field of social anthropology, or she could pursue her love of food. In the end, she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. This helped her shape and master her craft.
Back to LA
After learning a huge amount in Paris, the Italian chef made her way back to the US and set up shop in Los Angeles. She landed her first job as a chef at a prestigious restaurant owned by Wolfgang Puck, and she continued to hone in her cooking skills and obtain her signature style.
Finding Her Place
However, Giada struggled to find her place in the food world. She transitioned from a restaurant chef to food magazine stylist, and she just didn’t know where she fit in. Thankfully, an executive from the Food Network gave her an opportunity she just couldn’t refuse in 2012, and she was given her own show.
A Huge Career
Since that first show, Giada has gone from strength to strength. She has made a huge career for herself and has taken on hosting roles for the likes of Giada’s Weekend Away, Everyday Italian, Pixie Hollow Bake Off, Handy Mandy, and Behind the Bash. She is the ultimate food expert, and everyone loves her.
Cooking for Royalty
Giada’s reputation as a chef has preceded herself over the years, and she hasn’t just cooked for her television show and fans at home. When Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Los Angeles, Giada was hired to cook for the Royal couple! That’s certainly a once in a lifetime achievement worth bragging about.
All in the Family
There’s no doubt about the fact that Giada De Laurentiis has the cooking prowess to take the Food Network by storm, but what about her camera presence? Well, it seems as though she has her grandfather to thank for that. Her grandfather is Dino De Laurentiis, a famous movie producer with decades of experience.
Chicken Faux Pas
Although it seems as though Giada is a natural in front of the camera, it seems as though she often struggles with the pressures of fame. During one particular episode, Giada served a guest on her show raw chicken, and she just didn’t know what to do. In the end, she just froze.
Impressive Accolades
It’s no secret that Giada De Laurentiis is a hugely talented chef, but did you know her work has earned her numerous Emmy Awards? She won her first Emmy in 2008 and has since racked up a huge number of nominations and accolades that she definitely should be proud of.
The Chef, The Author
As well as being a hugely famous chef, Giada has also become an author. She has utilized her experience and her knowledge of the food industry to release a whopping nine cookbooks. This has allowed her fans to use their recipes in their own homes, and two of them have become best sellers.
Branching Out
In recent years, Giada has also branched out and expanded her brand. To enable her fans to get the full Giada cooking experience, she has also released her own line of kitchen products. One of the most popular products within this line is her exclusive set of high-quality kitchen knives.
Giada at Target
Of course, the impressive business ventures don’t end there. As well as releasing her own brand of knives, Giada has also released a huge range of products with Target. These include kitchen products and utensils, as well as Italian favorites such as pasta and sauces. These have proved to be very popular.
Keeping Fit
As a chef, Giada De Laurentiis is known for cooking Italian food that is often full of carbohydrates. So, how does she keep fit and not pile on the pounds? Giada loves to stay active and healthy and spends her spare time playing sports and keeping on her toes throughout the day.
Giada’s Glowing Skin
Giada has also been praised for her healthy and glowing skin, but it seems as though she doesn’t use her celebrity status to buy expensive products. Instead, she uses a homemade face mask that leaves her skin looking flawless. For this, she creates a concoction of olive oil and baking soda, and it works wonders.
Eating Healthily
It’s also been noted that Giada rarely eats the food that she makes on set herself. While she does enjoy making her traditional Italian cuisine, she knows that she needs to eat it in small doses. Instead, she often eats salad and a few bites of dark chocolate if she needs a sweet touch.
The Dump Bucket
In fact, a source behind the scenes of Giada’s cooking shows has confessed that Giada uses a “Dump Bucket.” This is where she dumps the food that she makes during filming. Instead of eating it herself, she just instantly throws it away. Giada’s spokesperson has noted that this because she can’t eat it all.
Standing Her Ground
It’s also been suggested that Giada doesn’t eat a huge amount of her own food because she is much shorter than the average woman. Standing at 5’1”, Giada is not the tallest woman in the world. She has a small and petite body, which means that she cannot eat as much as others.
Cooking For Others
While she may have found herself in hot water for her eating antics on set, Giada finds her joy in cooking for others. That’s why she decided to open up her very own restaurant! The Giada restaurant opened in 2014 in Las Vegas, and she has since opened up another three restaurants elsewhere.
All in the Smile
You might have realized that Giada De Laurentiis spends most of her time smiling, even in the heat of the kitchen. There’s a reason for this: a famous television producer taught her to smile through everything, even if she doesn’t want to smile. Could there be more behind this smile?
Staying Away
Although Giada is all smiles, it seems as though she does not like to be touched by fans or strangers in the celebrity world. She appreciates the fact that she has an approachable and friendly face, but she finds it uncomfortable when people touch her and invade her personal space on a regular basis.
A Messy Divorce
While in college, Giada met and fell in love with Todd Thompson, a fashion designer. While it seems as though their relationship and their subsequent marriage was a match made in heaven, their divorce became official in 2015. There are rumors to suggest that it was a fairly messy divorce…
A Loving Mother
What made her divorce even messier was the fact that it wasn’t just the two of them involved. Giada and Todd welcomed their daughter, Jade, into the world in 2008. It’s been clear to see that Giada and Jade have an unbreakable bond and that Giada is a wonderful mother.
Giada, the Cheater?
However, perhaps the biggest story to come from Giada and Todd’s divorce is the story of Giada’s possible infidelity. While nothing has been confirmed by either party, Giada has been linked to various men over the course of her career. These include John Mayer, Bobby Flay, and Shane Farley, who worked as her producer.
Denying the Claims
The world of television is very male-dominated, and Giada has had to work with some strong male characters in the past. While many rumors have swirled around that she has been romantically linked to a few of them, she denies these claims. She maintains that she is only ever friendly with these men, and nothing more.
A True Lion
If you are the kind of person that believes in horoscopes, you’ll know about the traits of a Leo. These people are incredibly determined and driven and are always big characters. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to learn that Giada De Laurentiis is a Leo. She is the classic depiction of a Leo.
Working Together
Over the course of her career, Giada De Laurentiis has proved that she is an impressive businesswoman. Although she has worked on her own projects, she has also teamed up with some of the biggest names in show business to sell her products. These include Gwen Stefani, Williams Sonoma, and Maria Menounos.
Family Troubles
Like most Italian families, the members of the De Laurentiis family are extremely close. Because of this, they were all heartbroken by a family tragedy in 2003. This year, Giada’s brother was diagnosed with skin cancer and he later passed away. This severely affects Giada, and she is now a melanoma prevention advocate.
Raising Money
In fact, Giada has raised a huge amount of money for charities associated with cancer. She is determined to help families and sufferers across the world, and hope that they don’t go what her family went through. She has worked closely with the likes of Stand Up to Cancer and the American Heart Association.
Bringing Them Closer
Despite the heartbreak that Giada and her family went through after losing her brother, there has been one shining light. A few years later, Giada welcomed her daughter into the world, and she vowed to spend as much time with her as possible. Because of this, she won’t have any more children.
All in the Name
However, Giada isn’t just giving Jade her undivided attention. She is also continuing her family tradition of passing down the surname of the mother. That’s why Jade is called Jade De Laurentiis rather than Jade Thompson. This allows her daughter to embrace her Italian roots and her heritage. Jade may even become a chef herself!
Giada and Her Sister
As well as making sure she spends time with her daughter, Giada has also vowed to spend more time with her family. Most notably, her sister. Giada and her younger sister, Eloise, are now closer than ever and now do everything together. Eloise has even appeared alongside her on Giada’s television shows.
A New Love
After family troubles and a messy divorce, many fans are happy to know that Giada De Laurentiis has found love again. Although rumors still circulate that Giada was unfaithful with Shane Farley during her first marriage, they have now become an official couple. In fact, they have been dating since November 2015.
An Overlap?
However, there are some people who have questioned this relationship and whether there was an overlap with the two men. The plot thickened when Farley divorced his wife of 15 years straight after Giada’s divorce went through. He later confirmed they did go for drinks while they were both married, but nothing more.
A Brand New Show
Alongside her new love, Giada also has a brand new show to be excited about! After working on various productions over the course of her career, she is now focusing her attention on Giada Entertains. This show allows Giada the chance to teach viewers how to throw a party and put on an impressive spread.
Chilling Out
Although it may seem as though Giada doesn’t have a minute to herself, she does often like to spend time with her animals. As a keen animal lover, Giada is the proud owner of both cats and dogs. She regularly posts photos of her fur babies on her social media channels.
Money Worries
Unfortunately, it’s not all happy days for Giada De Laurentiis. Rumors of infidelity are still surrounding Giada and her new relationship, and reports suggest that she is struggling with her money. While she may have a hefty net worth, this has struggled under the weight of her divorce to Todd Thompson.
Divorce Proceedings
Anyone who has gone through a divorce will know that the proceedings are not cheap. They cost a huge amount of money, and they cost even more when you have a huge amount of money yourself. That’s why celebrity divorces always make the news. They cause an impressive amount of controversy.
The Prenup
One of the main reasons why Giada De Laurentiis and Todd Thompson’s divorce was so expensive was because they did not sign a prenup before they got married. This meant that Giada had to give Todd exactly half of her wealth, which had grown exponentially over the course of their marriage.
Child Support
As if losing half of her wealth wasn’t enough, it’s been reported that Giada also has to pay Todd a whopping $9,000 a month for child support. This has taken its toll on her net worth, and it’s believed that it’s no longer at the level it was last year.