Giuliana Rancic, an entertainment news personality for E! News, spoke at the University of South Florida on Oct. 9. She is currently on a college tour promoting her new book “I Do, Now What?” that she co-wrote with her husband, Bill Rancic.
Fans formed long lines that wrapped around the Marshall Student Center as they eagerly awaited Giuliana and Bill’s arrival. Once everyone settled into their seats, Giuliana and Bill entered the conference room, and the entire audience stood and cheered in excitement and honor.
For the first 20 minutes or so, the couple reminisced on how they met and the earliest years of their relationship.
“I was watching “The Apprentice,” and I saw this gorgeous guy on there, and I was like, ‘who is that man? I have to meet him,’” Giuliana said. Bill was the first winner of “The Apprentice” for The Trump Organization and now works as a motivational speaker and real estate developer in Chicago, Ill. Giuliana and he also have their own reality television show called “Giuliana and Bill” on the Style Network.
Giuliana then talked about how she worked her way up the career ladder. After graduating with her master’s degree in journalism from the American University, she moved to Hollywood a week later. For six years, she worked various jobs in retail and restaurants before she finally landed a gig with E! News.
Giuliana and Bill then went on to discuss their personal lives a bit further since that is the main focus of their book.
Shortly after their marriage, they faced fertility issues while trying to conceive a child. In 2010, they attempted in vitro fertilization, but, sadly, they suffered a miscarriage after just nine weeks. They then tried multiple IVF transfers, but during Giuliana’s third procedure, the doctor conducted a mammogram and found breast cancer.
“It was the worst feeling ever. I felt like the walls were closing in and I was falling forever. I couldn’t believe something like this could happen to me,” Giuliana said.
Giuliana went through a lumpectomy as well as some radiation. She had a surgery in Oct. 2011, then underwent a double mastectomy in December. Just two weeks later she was back in the E! News offices happy to get her mind off her heart-wrenching situation.
Even during the breast cancer treatments, Giuliana and Bill continued to try to have a child. Fortunately, they found a successful match for a surrogate mother. Not long after, Giuliana and Bill found out they were expecting, and they publicly announced the good news on “The Today Show.” They finally got to welcome their son, Edward Duke Rancic, into the world on Aug. 29, 2012, not even a year after Giuliana’s double mastectomy procedure.
“This was our unplanned plan. We had troubles getting pregnant, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But everything worked out like a miracle. This was just God’s plan,” Giuliana said.
After Giuliana and Bill told their story, audience members were able to directly talk to the couple during the Q & A session. One woman approached the podium with a cane in tow to support her fragile body.
“I recently finished up another round of chemotherapy just last week. You are such an inspiration to me, Giuliana. And my 8-year-old son is also named Duke,” the woman said.
Everyone else in the audience applauded her bravery and teared up at how so many other women and couples have gone through similar situations. Giuliana and Bill want to promote breast cancer awareness which is another reason why they chose to tour during October since it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“Give yourselves monthly breast examinations. Feel for anything that looks or feels abnormal. 98 percent of breast cancer is curable if found during its early stage,” Giuliana encouraged.
Natalie Hicks can be reached at natalie.hicks@theminaretonline.com.