Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis had an emotional first night on “Dancing with the Stars.”
After performing a tango set to Shocking Blue’s “Venus” on Wednesday with Alan Bernsten, the chef was visibly emotional.
Although her routine was well-received by the judges and earned a total score of 16 out of 30, the “Everyday Italian” star could be seen wiping a tear from her eye.
Why Giada De Laurentiis Cried After Receiving ‘DWTS’ Scores
DisneyGiada De Laurentiis has opened up about why she was so emotional after making her “Dancing with the Stars” season 35 debut, but don’t worry, they are “tears of joy.”
“I think it’s the scores, but I think it’s also just, like, all the anxiety and the self-doubt and all that stuff that kind of comes up, you know,” De Laurentiis told Us Weekly after the Wednesday, September 16, live broadcast.
“There’s, like, beautiful young girls that you’re dancing alongside. It’s just a weird feeling that you get, and I think it overtook me. I felt like a volcano exploded, and I was trying desperately to hold it in,” the chef further explained.
She added that her dance partner, Alan Bersten, had told her to “let out,” but she was reluctant to cry.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know. I want to, but there’s so many things to think about — makeup and this and that and … tonight after the dance, I was like, ‘I can’t hold it anymore,’” the 53-year-old said.
De Laurentiis thanked her “supportive and sweet” pro for being with her during her “DWTS” debut.
He kept telling her: “‘I love you. It’s gonna be fine. You’re gonna do your best, and whatever you do, I love you anyway,’” De Laurentiis told Us Weekly. “Especially when we were up there, he was like, ‘Even if we get eliminated, you did the best job you could do, and I love you. It’s gonna be fine.’”
She added, “When they said we were safe, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is like the worst feeling ever. That it’s just the whole thing. Elimination’s terrible.’”
Giada Is Being Supported By Her Daughter
Giada De Laurentiis isn’t just supported by Alan Bersten. Her 18-year-old daughter, Jade, is also in her corner.
“She just texted me. I haven’t been able to talk to her after [yet],” De Laurentiis revealed about the daughter she shares with ex-husband Todd Thompson. “But she texted me before, in all caps, ‘You got this,’ and I can’t say the rest.”
Giada recently helped her teenage daughter into a dorm at NYU. “To be honest, I have really sad days, and then I have really happy days,” she told Us Weekly in July about her only child growing up and moving out.
She also revealed that her fellow Food Network stars have sent her their best wishes after her first performance on the dance show.
“I don’t know if they texted me [after the premiere], but they did beforehand. Especially Guy [Fieri], who was like, ‘You better shake it, and you better bring it, make us all proud.’ So, we’ll see,” she told US Weekly.
Earlier this week, she posted on Instagram a FaceTime call with Guy Fieri, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Sunny Anderson.
“The whole food world’s going to be watching,” Fieri told De Laurentiis on the FaceTime call. “I don’t want to bring this on you, but I’m nervous, Giada. I mean, like genuinely nervous.”
“I’m going to tell you this,” Fieri added. “If we were betting on the Kentucky Derby, I’d be putting money on your horse.”
