Giada de Laurentiis gets real about the difficulties of post-divorce life

Now that the Giada de Laurentiis divorce is over and the she’s begun dating again, it might seem like everything is going great for the Food Network star. But that’s not the case, says Giada, who’s opened up about what her post-divorce life is like in a series of new interviews.

Giada’s divorce from former husband Todd Thompson was messy and prolonged. The pair announced their split last December, and finalized the divorce this past summer. The two were married for eleven years in total, but had known each other for much longer than that. A long string of infidelity rumors plagued Giada for much of the divorce’s duration; she was also linked with fellow celebrity chef Bobby Flay on a number of occasions, both formally and informally.

The Bobby Flay rumors were disproven, though, after Starcasm broke the story of Giada’s relationship with television producer Shane Farley. Giada’s rep later confirmed the relationship–shortly before it emerged that Farley is still married, and is going through a divorce himself.

All in all, then, it’s been a rough year for the star, something she’s addressed frankly on her current book tour. Recently, Giada told noted person Dr. Oz that one of the hardest things she’s had to do is move on after being together with Thompson for over twenty years.

“We had been together since I was 19; I’m now 45,” Giada said. “That’s a lifetime with someone. It was a very difficult time. I don’t have the answers; I’m figuring them out as I go. I’m also afraid, like many other women who go through this, and men, too, for that matter.”

Giada was equally forthcoming about how much she’s had to learn now that she’s fending for herself. “I never knew how to hook up a TV; I had alarms going off in the night that I never had to deal with because my ex-husband would handle all that stuff,” she explained. “[But] I can do those things now. If the water heater breaks, I can handle it. It’s moments like those that wake you up and make you think, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can take care of myself.’

“Every challenge,” Giada went on, “is an opportunity to become stronger and believe in yourself more,” the chef continued. “That’s what it’s about: believing in yourself.”

Giada concluded by explaining what Happy Cooking, the title of her newest book, means to her–and how she defines the good life: “The good life to me is lots of laughter,” she said. “People always ask me: ‘Why do you smile so much? And how do you keep smiling?’ You know, I think laughing inside and outside is important. And to me, ‘happy cooking’ is really important. So between cooking and laughing, I think my life is pretty great.”

 

(Photo credits: Giada de Laurentiis divorce via Instagram)