Photo: Phillip Faraone/WireImage
Giada De Laurentiishas no regrets at the moment.
In an interview withHauteLiving, the Italian-born chef, 52, who recently announced herdeparture from the Food Networkafter over 20 years, opened up about how her career affected personal decisions throughout her life.
When discussing her restaurant, Giada, located at The Cromwellin Las Vegas, De Laurentiis reflected on balancing work and being a mom.
“I mean, being a chef and having multiple restaurants, you don’t have Christmas, you don’t have the holidays. It’s very difficult to raise a family and do all of that,” said De Laurentiis, who shares 14-year-old daughter Jade with ex-husband, Todd Thompson.
WhenHaute Living’s Laura Schreffler pointed out that De Laurentiis did just that despite the challenges of working in the food industry, she responded: “But at a cost.”
“I was married for 12 years, and I got divorced. It’s definitely at a cost. I mean, I’m lucky — I have one kid — and maybe I would have had more if I hadn’t had this career, but it is what it is,” she told the outlet. “I love it, and hopefully I won’t ever regret it. But for right now, I don’t.”
While she maintains having an only child is what was meant for her, the Giadzy founder admits that some of her family disagrees.
“Some of my family tells me that when I’m in my 70s or 80s, I’m going to regret not having more kids, but for right now, I love the one I have; [Jade is] fabulous. I’ve been able to take her all over the world with me,” she said.
Giada DeLaurentiis Instagram
De Laurentiis added: “And I do think that the greatest luxury for me in life is time with my daughter. Also, I feel like my time is fleeting with her — and also, for myself.”
The celebrity chef and cookbook author, who has been dating boyfriend Shane Farley for over six years, also said she’s been thinking about aging more and more.
“I think we get older and we start to realize, I’m only good for this amount of time. After that, I’m not my best self anymore so I might as well just shut it down. But it takes a long time. That’s the beauty of aging — understand who you are, know your limits, set those boundaries, and don’t look back,” she said.
Earlier this month, the Food Network confirmed with PEOPLE that De Laurentiis is parting ways with the network.
After 21 years as a host and chef personality at the network, she will no longer collaborate on new projects there, and instead signed a multi-year deal for unscripted series production with Amazon Studios.Deadlinewas the first to report the news of her new deal.
“Giada De Laurentiis is culinary royalty, someone who has taught audiences how to properly pronounce every cut of pasta imaginable for nearly two decades. Food Network will always be proud of the beautiful content we have created together, and our table will always have an open seat for Giada,” a Food Network spokesperson told PEOPLE.
Reruns of De Laurentiis' shows, includingGiada at HomeandGiada Entertains, will still be shown on Food Network and discovery+.
De Laurentiis shared the news in an Instagram post, which included a screenshot ofDeadline’s announcement of her new deal. “Big week! Super excited for what’s to come! @amazonstudios,” she wrote in the caption.
source: people.com
