Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has been making the rounds promoting her new book Happy Cooking ― and sharing a fair amount about her recent divorce in the process.
In an interview with magazine DR.OZ The Good Life, on newsstands November 24, De Laurentiis opened up about the “difficult” split.
“We had been together since I was 19; I’m now 45. That’s a lifetime with someone. It was a very difficult time,” she said. “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.”
The chef and her ex-husband Todd Thompson finalized their divorce in September; they first announced their split last December after 11 years of marriage.
De Laurentiis told the magazine that life post-split has its challenges, but it’s also strengthened her in many ways.
“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. I can do those things now. If the water heater breaks, I can handle it,” she told the mag. “It’s moments like those that wake you up and make you think, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can take care of myself.’ Every challenge is an opportunity to become stronger and believe in yourself more. That’s what it’s about: believing in yourself.”
She’s even dating someone new, the celeb chef told People.com earlier this month. According to US Weekly, her new beau is reportedly TV producer Shane Farley, but De Laurentiis herself has yet to confirm that.
For now, she’s focusing on co-parenting with her ex and living the good life.
“The good life to me is lots of laughter,” De Laurentiis 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.”
For more on her interview with DR. OZ The Good Life, click here.
Also on HuffPost: