One of Food Network's best-loved stars, Giada De Laurentiis rose to fame in 2003, with her
first TV show, Everyday Italian.
But while De Laurentiis has been in the limelight for a number of years, there are still some
things that even her most devoted fans don't know about her.
Here's the untold truth of Giada De Laurentiis.
"Let's have some fun"
Growing up Giada
De Laurentiis has worked in TV for a number of years, but the family's showbiz connections
didn't start with her.
Her maternal grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis, was a famous movie producer.
Her mother, Veronica De Laurentiis, was an Italian actress and her father, Alex De Benedetti,
was an actor and producer who knew Dino well, according to The Daily Meal.
After her parents got divorced, she took her mother's last name, and moved with her to
California.
"All the trials and tribulations of being a small child in a different country actually
made me the person I am today."
It wasn't smooth sailing, at first, for the aspiring chef.
"I have a large head.
In fact when I was a kid, people used to make fun of the size of my head."
De Laurentiis also told The Chew that as a child, she was gifted a nickname that kinda
rhymed with "Giada":
"What was your nickname as a kid?
Jabba the Hutt.
Because the Star Wars movie came out, and that was what all the kids called me."
First lady of the Vegas Strip
De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, Giada, in The Cromwell on the Las Vegas Strip
in 2014.
And according to Elle, that also made her the first woman to have her own restaurant
on the Strip.
"So you don't need many ingredients, but you need great ingredients.
Because if you only have four, those four better be top of the line, and they better
have a ton of flavor."
In February 2018, De Laurentiis opened her second Vegas eatery, Pronto by Giada, at Caesar's
Palace.
Truffle pass
If you're over all-truffle-everything, you might want to hit up De Laurentiis' recipes.
When asked what food trend she's tired of, she told The Feast,
"Truffles in everything.
[...] Truffles are something that should only be used when in-season.
[...] It doesn't make you more of a gourmet cook to use truffle in everything."
Her mini-me
In March of 2008, De Laurentiis gave birth to daughter Jade, with ex-husband, Todd Thompson.
While you've likely heard references to Jade or seen her on Giada at Home, you might not
know that Jade and Giada share a name — sort of.
SheKnows reported that "giada" is Italian for "jade," so both of their names have the
same meaning.
As for her zero-prenup divorce from Thompson, De Laurentiis is said to be forking over a
whopping $9,000 a month in child support.
Tragedy turned advocacy
In 2003, De Laurentiis' younger brother, Dino, died of skin cancer at just 31 years old.
She told ET,
"He was the person I turned to for everything.
When something great happened in my life, when something bad happened — I would talk
to him 2-3 times per day."
De Laurentiis later recorded a PSA for Stand Up To Cancer, in her brother's honor.
"He died from melanoma when he was 31.
Every hour someone dies from melanoma.
It doesn't have to be someone you love."
Feeling the #fails
Just because she's a celebrity chef doesn't mean she hasn't had her share of cooking disasters.
De Laurentiis told The Feast she nearly ruined Thanksgiving, while working a catering job
back in the day, remembering,
"They had a big dog, and I wasn't used to cooking around dogs.
I tripped over the dog once I put the turkey on the platter.
Once the turkey hit the floor, that dog got to it before I did."
And De Laurentiis's first Today Show appearance wasn't exactly flawless.
She told Jimmy Fallon that during her cooking segment:
"Matt Lauer, with a fork, cuts my supposed grilled chicken breast…"
"...it is completely raw."
She then recalled,
"He runs to the back, spits it out, and says to the camera.
She tried to poison me….your career is over."
Last Meal
De Laurentiis revealed to Health magazine that her last meal would be a seven-layer
chocolate cake.
And she's even planned out exactly how she would enjoy those final earthly bites, saying,
"I would eat all of the frosting on the outside, then I would peel off the cake and eat the
layers in between."
Sounds like a last meal to satisfy any serious sweet tooth!
"Look how gorgeous that is!"
"It screams Giada, look at that!"
"No, it doesn't I'm not pink glitter!
Aaaaaagh!"
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