What You Didn't Know About Giada De Laurentiis' Childhood

Giada De Laurentiis is a huge cooking star. The celebrity chef gets praised for many things including but not limited to her cooking style, her Italian recipes, her TV appearances, and more. According to her website, not only has she been a part of several shows on the Food Network, she has written many bestselling cookbooks and is also the brains behind an e-commerce platform called Giadzy, which offers fans a glimpse into her recipes and also has several products including kitchen accessories for sale.

Additionally, De Laurentiis has a rather impressive background. She received training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and followed that up with getting work experience at the Ritz Carlton Fine Dining Room and Wolfgang Puck's Spago (via Biography.) However, what many fans may not know, is that she had to undergo a major transition as a child. Here's what you need to know.

De Laurentiis and her family underwent a major transition when she was just seven years old. The family shifted base from Italy to the U.S. This was, of course, a big deal for the whole family. Thankfully, De Laurentiis didn't feel detached from her roots thanks to her family. She told Insider, "My family takes their culture very seriously, so even when we moved to the U.S., we still lived very Italian lives. We spoke Italian at home, we only ate Italian food."

But things were challenging for De Laurentiis, as she didn't know how to communicate in English and even had to reattempt first grade. Plus, her peers in school often bullied her for simply being different. However, looking back, the chef is glad that her family was always so proud of their roots. She said, "I'm glad now that my family took our culture so seriously — it's something I embrace so deeply today."