Bill and Giuliana Rancic Talk Family Health, Parenthood
Giuliana Rancic tends to get a little disinfectant-happy.
On a recent flight with her husband, Bill, and 7-month-old son, Duke, she sprayed a can of disinfectant on the surrounding areas. Fellow passengers weren't spared.
"You would have thought Giuliana was performing open-heart surgery," Bill told U.S. News in a joint phone interview with his wife. "She had this area so sterile and disinfected. She sprayed the gentleman in front of us by mistake. I don't think he appreciated it."
Perhaps it's fitting, then, that the power couple's latest venture is a healthy one. Giuliana, who's an E! News anchor, and Bill, who hosts "America Now," are launching "Healthing," a new initiative that's all about family health and making healthy routines and good hygiene habits a priority.
Bill and Giuliana chatted about why staying healthy is important to their family, and how health has affected their lives over the past few years--from infertility and breast cancer to new parenthood and working out together.
What is Healthing, and why is it important to you?
BR: It's a movement. Healthing is a way of life; it's a verb, not a noun. We're trying to spread the word and help people understand why it's important for them and their families. For us, it's about creating a healthy environment for our son Duke.
GR: In our house, Bill does all the cooking, even though I'm Italian.
BR: She's going to lose her Italian passport.
GR: I am. I don't cook at all, but I do all the cleaning. And to me, that used to mean wiping down the countertops and making sure they smell good and are sparkly. But it's so much more than that. You gotta be disinfecting, too--killing those germs. Obviously Duke is going to be exposed to a lot of things in his life that we can't control, but the things we can control ... why not make them as healthy as possible for our son? And in the 7 months he's been on this planet, he's never had a runny nose or a cold.
It's time for spring cleaning. How do you go about it?
BR: We're just going through the checklist, and that's not just making sure our house is healthy. We got our car seats checked, and last week, Giuliana made me do an executive [comprehensive, intense] physical. It was 8 hours long. I hadn't been to a doctor in years, but part of Healthing is making sure we're all healthy, and being proactive, not reactive.
GR: There's so much you can be doing, and spring really is the best time to take inventory of your life. Especially with health--there's nothing more important than having your health, and the health of your children and family.
BR: And we know that all too well.
GR: Yeah, life can be perfect, but if there's a health concern with your kids or your family, it makes life so tough and difficult. It's something we feel very strongly about.
How's your son doing?
BR: He's always smiling and laughing, and he's got his first tooth in now. It's amazing watching him develop--he's literally growing up in front of our eyes. It's the best thing that ever happened to us, and we're cherishing every moment. He's a special kid because I think at the end of the day, if it wasn't for him, Giuliana wouldn't be in the situation she's in. Because theoretically, this little guy saved her life. Had she not gone through infertility, she would have never gotten that mammogram, and I think our story would have a different ending.
What are your go-to tips for moms--especially busy ones?
GR: I think convenience is the most important thing. There's so many portable, little cleaning products and devices you can bring with you to help disinfect. You don't have to carry some big product around. I wipe my cell phone, because think about it--you get in a cab or on the subway, or put it down next to you, and all these germs are on it. I've found that since I got a little more serious about disinfecting, knock on wood, I haven't had the flu or a cold this season.
Also, instead of just running your car through the carwash every couple weeks, think about what you're doing inside. Wipe the backseats and the whole car down--it doesn't even take a minute. Moms carpool and they have all these germs coming in, and then a kid has a cold, and you don't want your kid to get sick. Wiping it down goes a long way.
Speaking of staying healthy, do you two enjoy working out together?
BR: We do, we work out together every day. Sometimes we go on long runs, and we're going to hopefully train for a marathon. We got the baby in a jogger stroller now, and he absolutely loves it. We take him hiking--I strap on one of those baby carriers, which I never thought I'd do. This little guy is an adventurer; he loves being outdoors.
You struggled with infertility for a long time. How has that affected you?
BR: We're really advocates for people having trouble becoming parents, because we struggled with it for a long time. We try to do as much as we can to let people know they're not alone. Infertility affects 1 in 4 couples. Those people shouldn't feel ashamed or feel a stigma attached to it, because it's not their fault.
