Giuliana and Bill Rancic talk $100,000 cancer care grant: ‘The possibilities are really endless’

Giuliana Rancic and her husband, Bill, continue to walk the walk.

Over seven years after the E! personality’s breast cancer battle, the couple continues to increasingly use their global platform to raise awareness around cancer research, support and awareness. 

The Rancics’ latest venture, working with the Astellas Oncology C3 Prize, recently announced that it had awarded a $100,000 grant to Audrey Guth and the Nanny Angel Network, which delivers free childcare for mothers with cancer.

“That there was a gap in services for mothers who had cancer and their children,” Giuliana told AOL’s Gibson Johns during a phone interview this week. “This wonderful woman started the organization where she trains nannies and, once a week for a year, they’ll go into a home and help while the mother goes through treatment or does what she needs to do, they know that their child is being cared for at home by a professional. It’s just one less worry.”

“I thought the Nanny Angel Network was going to have a huge boost from this, and what I truly love about the C3 Prize is that in five years I’m looking forward to looking back and looking at where they are at that point,” Bill, who served on the judging panel that awarded the grant, added. “Hopefully they’re all across America and in different countries, because the possibilities are really endless.”

The announcement came just one week after Giuliana made another headline-making reveal of her own: She’d be stepping away from “E! News” in 2020 as the show moves from its Los Angeles base to New York. While she called the decision to stay away “so hard,” she told AOL that she’s “excited” about the prospect of using more of her time and energy to raise awareness for projects like the C3 Prize.

“It was more about the schedule and what was right for my family and really honestly giving the opportunity to do things that I’m very passionate about, but haven’t been able to do as much,” she told us. “I want for those things to be more of a priority.”

For our full exclusive interview with Giuliana and Bill Rancic, continue reading below:

Last time we talked, you were encouraging people to submit ideas for the C3 Prize (Changing Cancer Care) back in May, and now we have a winner! Who was chosen for the prize and why?

Giuliana Rancic: This year’s winner is called the Nanny Angel Network, which was founded by a cancer survivor and mother of four [named Audrey Guth] who realized that there was a gap in services for mothers who had cancer and their children. This wonderful woman started the organization where she trains nannies and, once a week for a year, they’ll go into a home and help while the mother goes through treatment or does what she needs to do, they know that their child is being cared for at home by a professional. It’s just one less worry. We’re really excited. What’s wonderful about the $100,000 grant that she received is that she’s going to be able to take the Nanny Angel Network to the next level and expand into more communities, because every community could certainly use an asset like this.

Bill, you were on the committee that helped choose the winner. What about this project specifically spoke to you?

Bill Rancic: It was tough as a judge, because we received hundreds of submissions. At the end of the day, we narrowed it down to three finalists. We had three female entrepreneurs this year, and I thought the Nanny Angel Network was just going to have a major benefit not only from the $100,000 grant we gave her, but also from the exposure. That can be so important, because 100 percent of the nannies are volunteers: they’re social workers, they’re school teachers, they’re people who have some form of professional background in dealing with children, and they also go through training to help give these kids therapy when their moms are in treatment. I just thought, “Wow, what an opportunity.” I thought the Nanny Angel Network was going to have a huge boost from this and what I truly love about the C3 Prize is that in five years I’m looking forward to looking back and looking at where they are at that point. Hopefully they’re all across America and in different countries, because the possibilities are really endless.

The $100,000 is certainly a leg up and it’s exciting to think about where they’ll be able to take the organization with this money. It’s up to them to make the most of it!

Bill: The fact that we’re talking to you about it right now, with the millions of people who are going to read your article, the exposure is just great. They’re also going to be like, “How can I get the Nanny Angel Network here?” That’s just as important as the grant money they’ve been awarded, and Giuliana and I are going to also sing their praises from the mountaintops.

38 PHOTOSGiuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic togetherSee GalleryGiuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic togetherNEW YORK, NY – MAY 21:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic visit the SiriusXM Studios on May 21, 2019 in New York City.(Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 29: Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend G By Giuliana/HSN New Collection Launch Event at Beverly Hills Hotel on January 29, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for HSN)LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 25: Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic are seen on January 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.(Photo by gotpap/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic visit Build Brunch at Build Studio on October 30, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic visit Build Brunch at Build Studio on October 30, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic visit Build Brunch at Build Studio on October 30, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30:Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic are seen walking in soho on October 30, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 05:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend The Pink Agenda 10th Annual Gala at Three Sixty Degrees on October 5, 2017 in New York City.(Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 22:Co-Hosts Bill and Giuliana Rancic attend the UnMask Cancer annual fundraiser to support patient care and cancer research at the the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 22, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute )NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 13:Bill Rancic (L) and television personality/event hostess Giuliana Rancic attend The Pink Agenda’s 2016 Gala held at Three Sixty on October 13, 2016 in New York City.(Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 13:Bill Rancic (L) and television personality/event hostess Giuliana Rancic attend The Pink Agenda’s 2016 Gala held at Three Sixty on October 13, 2016 in New York City.(Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic)CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD – ‘The Band Perry vs Giuliana Rancic and Melissa Joan Hart vs Paul Sorvino’- The celebrity families competing to win cash for their charities feature the families from famed country music and multi-award winning The Band Perry, and host and author Giuliana Rancic. In a separate game, family members from actress, director and producer Melissa Joan Hart will compete against the family of legendary actor Paul Sorvino (‘Goodfellas’). This episode of ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ airs SUNDAY, JULY 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network. (Kelsey McNeal/ABC via Getty Images)STEVE HARVEY, GIULIANA RANCIC, BILL RANCICBEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 10:(L-R) Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic arrive to NBCUniversal’s 73rd Annual Golden Globes After Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California.(Photo by Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic)CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 03:Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic attend the Hormel Gatherings Great Play-On Party at Old Town Social on January 3, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.(Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Hormel Gatherings)NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 05:Bill Rancic, Duke Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend Kohl’s Holiday Storybooth Pop Up on December 5, 2015 in New York City.(Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Kohl’s)NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 16:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend the Pink Agenda Gala at Three Sixty on October 16, 2015 in New York City.(Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 30:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend Restoration Hardware Celebrates The Opening Of RH Chicago – The Gallery At The Three Arts Club at Restoration Hardware on September 30, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.(Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for RH Chicago)LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 17: Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic are seen leaving Craig’s restaurant in Hollywood on June 17, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.(Photo by Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 31:Bill Rancic (L) and television personality Giuliana Rancic attend the Le Vian 2016 Red Carpet Revue at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on May 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Le Vian)LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 31:Bill Rancic (L) and television personality Giuliana Rancic arrive at the Le Vian 2016 Red Carpet Revue at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on May 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Le Vian)MIAMI BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 07:Bill and Giuliana Rancic attends Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show on November 7, 2014 in Miami Beach, Florida.(Photo by Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage)SANTA MONICA, CA – OCTOBER 18: Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic apose for a portrait at the Elyse Walker Presents The 10th Anniversary Pink Party Hostedon October 18, 2014 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) SANTA MONICA, CA – OCTOBER 18:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic arrive at the 10th Annual Pink Party held at Santa Monica Airport on October 18, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.(Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic)UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – SEPTEMBER 29:Giuliana and Bill Rancic visit ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on September 29, 2014 in Universal City, California.(Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 22: (EUROPE AND AUSTRALASIA OUT) (L-R) American entrepreneur Bill Rancic and Italian American television personality Giuliana Rancic pose during a photo shoot at The Park Hyatt Hotel, The Rocks on September 22, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Richard Dobson/Newspix/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 05:Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill Rancic are seen outside Joan Rivers’ Apartment on September 5, 2014 in New York City.(Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 13:Television personalities Bill Rancic (L) and his wife Giuliana Rancic arrive at The North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) 25th anniversary celebration at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 13, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Photo by Bryan Steffy/WireImage)LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 01:Bill Rancic (L) and television personality Giuliana Rancic arrive at the 2015 Le Vian Red Carpet Revue at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on June 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Le Vian)SANTA MONICA, CA – MAY 17:TV personalities Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic arrive at the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund’s Inaugural Super Saturday LA event at Barker Hangar on May 17, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 19:(EXCLUSIVECOVERAGE) Bill Rancic (L) and Giuliana Rancic visit at SiriusXM Studios on March 19, 2014 in New York City.(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 07:Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic host Unilever Canada’s Be Groomed Be Gorgeous Media Launch Event at Andrew Richard Designs on November 7, 2013 in Toronto, Canada.(Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 14: Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic pose for a portrait at the 2013 Columbus Day luncheon at the Embassy of Italy on October 14, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE — Pictured (l-r): Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic — Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesTHE VIEW – Guest co-host, Gabby Reece appears today, July 16, 2013.Guests include Bruce Willis (‘Red 2′) and Giuliana and Bill Rancic with son Duke.’The View’ airs Monday-Friday (11:00 am-12:00 pm, ET) on the ABC Television Network.(Photo by Fred Lee/ABC via Getty Images)GIULIANA AND BILL RANCICTODAY — Pictured: (l-r) Duke Rancic, Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic appear on NBC News’ ‘Today’ show — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY – JULY 15:(L-R) TV Personalities Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic ring the NASDAQ closing bell at NASDAQ MarketSite on July 15, 2013 in New York City.(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)TODAY — Pictured: (l-r) Kathie Lee Gifford, Bill Rancic, Giuliana Rancic and Hoda Kotb appear on NBC News’ ‘Today’ show — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)MIAMI BEACH, FL – MARCH 01:(L-R) Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic attend Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show On South Beach on March 1, 2013 in Miami Beach, Florida.(Photo by Aaron Davidson/WireImage)Up Next

See Gallery

When we talked back in May, a big theme of our conversation was spotlighting aspects of cancer treatment outside of the treatment itself that people often forget about. There are so many other factors that can fall by the wayside, and it’s incredible that the winner of the C3 Prize focused on one of those things: Childcare.

Giuliana: Exactly. When I was going through breast cancer, I didn’t have a child at home. I do now — he’s 7 — and I think about that, like, “Gosh, how much harder and more stressful would that have been had I had my son at the time?” The Nanny Angel Network certainly resonated with me, and I know it resonates with so many parents. The other night, I was chatting with someone on social media actually, and we were DM’ing. She’s 36 years old and she was diagnosed at the same age I was diagnosed, and she was going into surgery yesterday and she said, “I’m really nervous.” I was sharing how I felt the night before and was giving her any sort of guidance or inspiration I could share with her, and she mentioned that the hardest part was her two little girls at home. It’s heartbreaking, and so many people are faced with that struggle every day. Going through cancer is hard enough, but when you start to bring in the other layers of it, like worrying about your family and how you’re going to get to appointments, there’s so much to worry about and it just takes it to a whole other level. There were a lot of really great submissions and so we’re excited about the next one. The more people see that you don’t have to be a doctor or have a degree to enter the C3 Prize contest the better.

Bill: It’s also an excellent example of big business working with small business. If you look at these large organizations, many of them started out in a basement or a studio apartment or a garage, and the fact that big business is able to work hand-in-hand and help mentor and guide these small organizations and hopefully [make them] much larger, is really special. Astellas Oncology is an excellent example of being a good corporate citizen. I’m thrilled to be partners with them.

You have your son, Duke, and you’re awarding this prize to help others with kids, and I’m curious what messages you impact to him around how to help others and when it comes to leading by example or giving back.

Bill: That’s a really good question, and that’s something that we really try to lead by example. We bring him with us on a lot of things that we do. We’ve taught him that every night when he says his prayers he should ask, “Please help me be kind, loving and generous.” We show him examples of generosity and making a difference and one thing that Giuliana and I believe is that to whom much is given, much is expected. We’re going to make sure he follows suit on that.

Giuliana: Earlier in October, he came with us to a breast cancer charity event, and he really wanted to come and learn about it and he’s really aware of the pink ribbon now. It’s funny, because Breast Cancer Awareness Month really does bring awareness in a lot of different ways, and with my son it was an opportunity to talk about it. He’s 7 years old, and he asks a lot of questions and wants a lot of information and it’s wonderful. I get to talk to him about it and told him a little bit about how Mommy had breast cancer and is okay now and the pink ribbon signifies breast cancer. Now every time he sees the pink ribbon, he squeezes me hand and smiles. He loves it and loves seeing it. It’s something that’s new to him. You don’t have to tell a child too much, and he can just feel that it’s something that was very hard in my life. He’ll give me a kiss or a hug, too. It’s so sweet, and that’s really important to us. I know he’ll take that with him for the rest of his life.

Another way that you’ve been able to lead by example is just the fight you showed during your own cancer battle, which I’m sure is something that he’ll be able to appreciate more and more as he gets older.

Giuliana: The time will come to talk about it more, absolutely. That’s why it’s so important: Whether I’m talking to my son about it or just sharing my story on television or over DM, I take that very seriously, and it’s just so important to me. I know how I felt in that moment, and when I get messages they stop me in my tracks. Sharing your story is so important, if you’re comfortable enough to do.

You made a big announcement last week that you’re stepping away from “E! News.” You must feel support from fans in moments like that, too, because that’s such a difficult decision to make after such a long time on the show.

Giuliana: It’s so hard, because I’ve been on E! doing “E! News” since 2002, so a long time. I love the viewers, I love when people tell me they watch and I love that connection. For me it was definitely hard to announce that, because I love the show and it will always be such a big part of my life. I will pop in and do as much as I can and of course staying on “Live From The Red Carpet,” so it was more about the schedule and what was right for my family and really honestly giving the opportunity to do things that I’m very passionate about, but haven’t been able to do as much. I want for those things to be more of a priority. I knew that it was the right thing to do for me in my life and my family. I’m thrilled to stay with the network, it’s my second home. It’s exciting, and I’m just so happy to be able to take this stuff to the next level.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Source: Read Full Article