Reality TV couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic are tackling parenthood (of their son Duke) together after a long journey to reach this place. The celebrity parents get candid in a new interview about marriage, babies, career and fashion. Bill and Giuliana shared it all during their stint as guest editors on iVillage.
Giuliana on putting marriage before baby: A lot of people would say to me, “Oh, you’ve said this statement and I’m sure you were misquoted,” and I said, “No, I wasn’t misquoted at all.” [Laughs] You know, I’m pretty direct person. And that’s what I meant. I think it’s so incredibly important to put your marriage first. Your marriage is the first example your child sees of a relationship, so in our case, we want Duke to see us kissing and dancing and loving each other and respecting each other, so that he can go into his life and into his future and respect women and respect others or just be a respectful person and a loving person.
And I think that so many people put their marriage second. And I think, in the end, it’s detrimental to their relationship as well as their children. Your kids want to see you in love. They feel safe when you’re in love and when you’re good to each other, so I think that’s very important.
Bill on watching Giuliana with baby Duke: For me, it’s fun to watch [her being a mother] because of the journey Giuliana had gone down to have our little baby. It was not an easy road. He’s such a symbol of the journey and the hardship and the joy that he brings up. It’s just magical to see.
Giuliana on how “I love you” is more than words or a little blue box: Listen, I love a pair of gorgeous shoes, but that’s not what I expect from Bill every month as a gift. What shows me he loves me is that every morning he wakes up and makes my coffee. There’s a secret thing [he does] with my milk that makes the coffee taste amazing. It speaks volumes, and it’s a cup of coffee. I think for a lot of us, it’s like, unless it’s expensive or it’s in a blue box with a bow on it, it doesn’t say “I love you” enough. And I completely disagree with that. You have to do little things for each other, things that really speak to the soul, [things] that involve making each other’s lives easier or more pleasant, and just making each other happy. And you know, that’s what it’s all about it.
Giuliana on how she’s learning to juggle her career and motherhood: I was spending a lot of time at work thinking about the baby and shopping for the baby. Then I would get home and I would be playing with the baby and then the next thing you know I’d be checking my emails because I neglected things at work. And then I wasn’t having quality time with the baby. I was only giving work 50 percent and the baby 50 percent. And I realized the secret, at least for me, is when I’m at work, I work. That’s it. I focus 100 percent at work. And when I get home, the phone goes away and I focus 100 percent on baby time. I found that it really helps balance things more than it used to.
Giuliana on finding herself on worst-dressed lists: I always say, to be a true fashionista, you have to be on the best-dressed list and the worst-dressed list because it means you’re taking chances. If you’re always only on the best-dressed list, you’re not having fun. You’re not taking chances. You’re not trying new things. Yeah, I think it’s hilarious. … And to do a show like ‘Fashion Police’ and being on the red carpet talking about fashion all the time, if you’re going to dish it, you need to be able to take it, too.
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