What To Know
- Giada De Laurentiis shared her 56th birthday celebrations with fans via social media.
- Fans sent the former Food Network star well-wishes and celebratory messages.
- De Laurentiis’ birthday comes shortly before her daughter, Jade, begins her first year of college at New York University.
Amid preparations for a major family milestone, Giada De Laurentiis took a moment to celebrate her own special occasion.
The former Food Network star shared a glimpse into her 56th birthday plans via Instagram on Saturday, August 22. “Celebrating another year around the … 56 is going to be a fun one!” she captioned the upload. “Thx for all of the bday wishes.”
The post’s first slide featured a fun photo of De Laurentiis posing with her birthday cake while sporting a “Birthday Babe” tiara, followed by more photos of her delicious birthday dessert.
Fans filled the post’s comments with birthday messages. “Happy happy birthday!!!! Did you say 56? You look more like 26,” one user gushed. Another added, “Happy birthday. best wishes for a fabulous year ahead.”
Someone else shared, “Happy birthday. I hope you had an amazing and beautiful day and I hope all your wishes come true. A different person said, “We have the same birthday!!! happy birthday to you. I hope you had a blast.” A separate commenter stated, “HBD Giada! Welcome to the 56 club! I am a few months older than you…so far it’s been fabulous! Enjoy!”
De Laurentiis shared more from her birthday celebrations via her Instagram Story on Sunday, August 23. “Last night,” she captioned a photo of herself, her daughter, Jade, and her boyfriend, Shane Farley, dining out, followed by a video of herself blowing out a birthday candle in a soufflé.
In addition to celebrating another year around the sun, De Laurentiis is preparing to become an empty-nester, as Jade will soon begin her first year of college at New York University. Earlier this month, De Laurentiis and her ex-husband, Todd Thompson, reunited to host a gathering with family and friends in honor of Jade.
“Celebrating our girl yesterday before we send her off,” De Laurentiis captioned an August 9 Instagram upload with pictures from the event. “We are sooo proud of you @jademarie_dlt – it’s time to go to college!”
In a January interview with People, De Laurentiis said she felt “really weird” about becoming the parent of a college student. “I know people are like, ‘Yeah, but they come home for the holidays.’ But it’s different. They don’t live in your house anymore,” she explained. “She may never live in my house again. And even if she does, she’ll be in her 20s. It’ll be a totally different experience. And I only have one kid, so I’m one and done. So I think it’s emotional, exciting, all wrapped up in one, and it’s a lot to navigate through.”
De Laurentiis continued, “She’s going to NYU, and I have an apartment in New York and I’m thinking of buying a house somewhere outside the city, maybe in the Hamptons, just so it doesn’t look like I’m going to hang out with her, looking to hang out with her, but I’m there in case she needs anything.”