Giada de Laurentiis' Transformation Is Seriously Turning Heads

Whether you consider yourself a casual cook or a self-proclaimed foodie, chances are, you're familiar with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. The chef is often referred to as the queen of Italian cuisine, and it's easy to see why. Giada De Laurentiis is the real deal when it comes to Italian cooking. Not only does the Food Network star come from an Italian family, she actually grew up in Italy too. On the Eat or Upsell podcast, she revealed that she was only 7 years old when she moved As De Laurentiis explained to Insider, the move to the States didn't necessarily mean that her upbringing was any less Italian. She recalled, While her Italian heritage gives her a solid understanding of the country's cuisine and culture, it wasn't always easy for the ambitious young cook. De Laurentiis explained to Architectural Digest, And because of that, De Laurentiis had to really forge her own path in the early days of her career. As a young Italian girl, Giada De Laurentiis initially struggled to acclimate to American life. She told Insider that her family continued to speak Italian at home, and that it took her a bit to understand and speak English. Well, because when you go to grade school, grammar school, in the States, you end up assimilating." De Laurentiis explained to Redbook that this led to a lot of bullying. She recalled, Her experiences of being bullied is what initially got her interested in cooking. She explained, and even start to get acceptance at school. She went on to recall that she'd bring in food she'd made at home and said, Giada De Laurentiis' passion for cooking came pretty early on. The Food Network chef told Time in 2006 that, He later became a movie producer, but also opened De Laurentiis Food Stores in America, and De Laurentiis explains that, She went on to explain that she frequently spent time in the store's kitchen after school. She remembers fondly that she, Sadly, her grandfather closed the store, but as De Laurentiis put it, After graduating from high school, Giada De Laurentiis decided not to pursue her passion of cooking initially. She explained to Eater that she was the first of her family to go to college. At the time, her parents weren't thinking about her college career. De Laurentiis said, So, De Laurentiis paved her own way through school, and in 1996, she graduated with a degree in anthropology from UCLA. In 2009, De Laurentiis spoke to the Department of Anthropology as their commencement speaker. She told the graduating students, Even though she followed a career in cooking, her time spent in school wasn't wasted. It was during her time at UCLA that Giada De Laurentiis first met Todd Thompson, the man who would become her husband. And food was a big part of their relationship. She explained to Redbook, So instead of buying him presents or meals out, she would cook for him. De Laurentiis also admitted that she won him over by treating him like royalty. She said, While her approach to relationships may sound a little archaic to some, it's clear that at the time, the dynamic worked for the couple. After graduating from UCLA, Giada De Laurentiis took a step that shocked her family by moving to Paris to study at the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Her time in Paris proved to be a bit of a shock. It was her first time living alone, and she'd never even done her own laundry before. Her intensive program took up six days a week, and on Sundays, she would head to the laundromat. As she recalled to Eater, I would lug all my sacks of stinky, dirty chef clothes that reeked and reeked. De Laurentiis explained that the entire course load was extremely stressful, and due to the intense pressure, the young chef lost 10 pounds overseas. She explained, At the time, she worried that she'd made the wrong decision, stating, Luckily, we know that things eventually worked out in her favor. After finishing up at the Cordon Bleu, Giada De Laurentiis returned to the States. She worked for various chefs for several years in restaurant kitchens, and told Eater that the first years were pretty difficult. She explained, When her big break finally came, it wasn't what she'd expected. She told Food & Wine, I wasn't looking to get into TV. And it apparently all happened by chance. She had been helping a friend style food for a photo shoot when the magazine asked to do a story on the De Laurentiis family. But she said that her Italian family wasn't completely hip to the idea of a cooking show, saying, We have a very respectable name. Are you going to just trash it by doing food television? What is that? At the time, it wasn't what it is today." De Laurentiis explained she provided recipes for the piece, and a producer from the Food Network saw the article and asked De Laurentiis for a demo tape. She said, Shortly after Everyday Italian began, Giada De Laurentiis and her then-husband Todd Thompson welcomed a new baby girl into their family. She explained to Redbook that it wasn't exactly planned, and the couple had decided against having children, saying, And so was Todd. She was worried that their life of freedom would have to change, but she's managed to maintain most of her freedom to travel while gaining a daughter. She told Today that not only did she gain a daughter, she also gained a, quote, "...partner in the kitchen." Jade has been hanging out with her mom while she cooks since she was born. De Laurentiis said, Having kids is life-changing, and for De Laurentiis, it was no different. She explained, When you don't have kids, you live for yourself. For Giada De Laurentiis, cooking and sexual appeal have always been intertwined with her success. And while she freely admits that now, it wasn't always easy for her to accept her sexuality as a public personality. She explained to Redbook in 2011, She went on to recall sitting in specific ways to hide her body while she was growing up. According to De Laurentiis, that feeling of embarrassment never completely went away. She wanted to be known for her cooking, not her looks. As she put it, But in 2006, she began to embrace her sex appeal. As she explained, the change came from growing older and trying to get in touch with that side of her career for her daughter's sake. De Laurentiis explained, After a two-decade-long relationship between Giada De Laurentiis and Todd Thompson, the pair called it quits in 2014. The news of their divorce was released on De Laurentiis' Facebook page, which read, After an amicable separation since July, Todd and I have decided to end our marriage. She explained that though it was sad news, the couple remained committed to their daughter. While De Laurentiis said that the split was amicable, she opened up about the divorce in an interview with Dr. Oz The Good Life. The star chef explained, And further stated that while the decision was ultimately very difficult, she said simply, And De Laurentiis had to make a range of adjustments after her split with Thompson. She had to learn about things like hooking up a TV and turning off house alarms, but added that the challenges of independent living made her stronger. She confirmed, In 2014, Giada De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, Giada, in Las Vegas. She told AskMen that owning her own restaurant had always been a dream of hers, ever since her early days in cooking. In an interview with Elle, De Laurentiis was asked about being the first woman to have a restaurant with her own name on the marquee. She put it plainly that, But she said that over the years, she began to notice that there was a gender gap in the industry, stating, I've started to think about it a little bit more and realize that if I'm going to actually make a difference, and I'm going to put my own stamp on things, I have to kind of fall back a little bit on my femininity." Explaining that she's learned to appreciate that her femininity actually means she has something different to offer over her male peers. In 2018, Giada De Laurentiis confirmed that she had found love for a second time after her difficult divorce. She told People she's been in a relationship with TV producer Shane Farley for two and a half years. The Everyday Italian star opened up about the trajectory of their relationship, saying, She told Meredith Vieira about her experience of being single again by, Because she'd been with her ex for so long, she needed time to adjust to life alone. But when she was ready, she reconnected with Farley, an old acquaintance, and romance quickly blossomed. The TV star confessed, And the entire extended family has an incredibly healthy relationship, with Thompson and De Laurentiis remaining close friends while their daughter, Jade, has positive relationships with both of them. For Farley, this means he can, quote, According to She Knows, De Laurentiis and her daughter Jade have made a splash on the social media platform TikTok with adorable videos of the mother-daughter duo dancing and getting their nails done. She's also announced a new series called Bobby and Giada in Italy, which will be coming to Discovery Plus in early 2021. According to People, the show will see De Laurentiis and old friend Bobby Flay as they, And even the 2020 lockdown couldn't get the star down. In an appearance on TMZ Live, she explained that while her cooking had changed during the pandemic, she had been creating delicious recipes for canned foods. And she and her partner Shane Farley are still going strong, as they've been spotted walking their dog in LA. By all accounts, things are looking up for this cooking sensation, and we can't wait to see what she serves up next. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about celebrity chefs are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.