Giada De Laurentiis’ Petite Style and Power Heels: How Fame Shaped Her Life and Marriage

Chef and television personality Giada De Laurentiis is a familiar and beloved face for hands-on foodies and casual Food Network viewers.

Red Carpet Radiance: Giada De Laurentiis at the 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards

Giada De Laurentiis isn’t just a star in the kitchen—she also consistently brings her A-game to the red carpet. Her appearance at the 2021 Daytime Emmys was a standout moment, showcasing her ability to blend sophistication with bold style.

Giada De Laurentiis stuns in a black Aje midi dress with side cutouts, paired with transparent d’Orsay pumps that elongate her petite frame at the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Burbank, California (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)

De Laurentiis’s confidence shines through her sexy yet classy look for the 2021 Daytime Emmys. She wore a gorgeous tea-length black dress with intriguing cutouts by Aje.

The transparent vamps and high stiletto heels of these snakeskin-trimmed d’Orsay pumps create an elongated leg line, giving a subtle yet powerful boost to the wearer’s height on the red carpet (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)

Though the dress was relatively understated, De Laurentiis elevated the look with intricate snakeskin d’Orsay pumps by Gianvito Rossi. The pumps subtly elongated her 5’2” frame and added a touch of bold elegance.

Gianvito Rossi’s sophisticated shoe designs have long been a red carpet favorite among celebrities seeking height and refinement.

The sleek, leg-lengthening Gianvito Rossi Portofino sandals have graced the feet of stars like Heidi Klum, Kerry Washington, Olivia Culpo, Demi Lovato, and Cobie Smulders. For a bolder look, Rihanna styled her Gianvito Rossi Montecarlo sandals with a curve-hugging LaQuan Smith dress while celebrating A$AP Rocky’s birthday. Even royalty favors the brand—

Giada De Laurentiis shows off her bright coral pedicure and size 6.5 (US) feet in snakeskin-trimmed d’Orsay pumps with transparent straps that highlight her elegant toes (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)

Coordinated Glamour With Daughter Jade at the 2019 Emmys

At the 2019 Daytime Emmy Awards, she stepped out with daughter Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, turning heads in a stylish, coordinated look. Giada later shared photos from the event on Instagram with the caption, “Last night at the @daytimeemmys w/ my girl!” and credited her glam team and designers.

She wore a chic white jumpsuit with voluminous sleeves by Elisabetta Franchi, paired with Gianvito Rossi heels, an Edie Parker clutch, and Jacquie Aiche earrings. Looking just as elegant, Jade wore a black, white, and pink knee-length dress—both mother and daughter sporting matching soft curls in their hair.

Giada dazzles in a white embroidered Elisabetta Franchi romper paired with ankle-strap Gianvito Rossi heels and a red clutch, while Jade complements her mom in a color-blocked A-line dress and black peep-toe booties at the 2019 Daytime Emmy Awards held on May 5, 2019, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California (Credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)

Petite but Powerful: Giada’s Elevated Style in Heels

Standing at just 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 6.5, the petite Italian-American chef often compensates for her small stature with sky-high heels and platform shoes that elevate her height and effortlessly chic style.

Giada De Laurentiis puts her petite size 6.5 feet on full display in sky-high snakeskin platform heels with peep-toe cutouts (Credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock)

Balancing Beauty, Fame, and Personal Challenges

While Giada is known for her culinary expertise and warm on-screen presence, her appearance has sometimes overshadowed her accomplishments, leading to challenges in her personal life. One such challenge was her highly publicized split from now-ex-husband Todd Thompson, a relationship that received intense media scrutiny.

Giada De Laurentiis stuns in a sleek black cutout gown with a gathered waist, pairing the bold look with a sparkling silver clutch and soft, beachy waves (Credit: Abby Grant / Cover Images)

From Behind the Scenes to Culinary Stardom

Although Giada De Laurentiis graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and trained at iconic restaurants like Spago, her big break came unexpectedly. While working as a food stylist—a behind-the-scenes job focused on making dishes camera-ready—her work caught the eye of a Food & Wine magazine editor. One beautifully styled spread led to a feature, which landed her an on-screen opportunity with the Food Network.

Since then, Giada De Laurentiis has hosted or appeared in a laundry list of cooking and lifestyle television shows, both on and off the network, including:

• Everyday Italian
• Giada’s Weekend Getaways
• Giada in Paradise
• Giada at Home
• Giada in Italy
• Giada Entertains
• Giada’s Holiday Handbook
• Giada on The Beach
• Winner Cake All
• Bobby and Giada in Italy
• Simply Giada

We’re getting tired just thinking about how exhausting it must be to make that many appearances! Fortunately, Giada De Laurentiis’ hard work has paid off. The talented chef has earned two Daytime Emmy Awards, a Gracie Award, and was even named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.

Giada De Laurentiis shares a playful moment over pasta with then-husband Todd Thompson, wearing a bold, printed blouse layered under a black tailored vest and accessorized with a statement turquoise ring (Credit: Anders Krusberg / Startraksphoto)

Being married to a successful woman isn’t easy, especially when it’s a woman who receives so much attention for her beauty. Here’s everything about Giada De Laurentiis and Todd Thompson’s split.

Giada and Todd Thompson: A Marriage in the Spotlight

The pair met when Giada De Laurentiis was only 19 and married in 2003. According to an interview with Redbook magazine, Todd Thompson was grateful to have her around.

Giada De Laurentiis cozies up to then-husband Todd Thompson at the 2011 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, glowing in an off-the-shoulder black dress with voluminous curls and her signature radiant smile (Credit: Seth Browarnik / Startraksphoto)

“My husband was used to opening cans — Chef Boyardee, frozen food, whatever. He didn’t know much about cooking, bless his soul. He wasn’t that hard to impress [laughing], but he’s come a long way,” she told the magazine. “Parmesan cheese never existed for him, not even the kind in the green container. Tomato sauce was watered-down ketchup.”

Luckily, Todd Thompson was more than willing to learn from his culinary goddess partner and became a confident cook. Still, it seems the pair butted heads occasionally.

Giada De Laurentiis, bundled up in a chic belted black coat, watches the festivities alongside daughter Jade and then-husband Todd Thompson at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, all three matching in cozy, cold-weather style on November 22, 2012, in New York City (Credit: Adam Nemser / Startraksphoto)

“Over the years, I think he became quite proud, and maybe even a little shocked, at my success,” De Laurentiis told Redbook. “You have to understand that coming from a Neapolitan family, men head up the empire. I think from time to time he had his own thoughts about the way I created recipes — that they were too easy, maybe too dumbed-down. I remember him once saying to me, “How can you tell people to open a jar of prepared pasta sauce?” Those were the kinds of debates we would have.”

Though we would hope that Todd Thompson was able to overcome his ideas about traditional gender roles (as Giada De Laurentiis was certainly the breadwinner), we wonder if it wasn’t a reason behind their divorce 11 years later, in 2015.

In addition to her love for Gianvito Rossi, Giada De Laurentiis has also been spotted in designer heels from other top luxury brands, including Christian Louboutin.

Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson and her mother, Giada De Laurentiis, attend the “Weeknights With Giada” book launch in coordinating dresses, with Giada elongating her petite frame in glitter-accented black peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels (Credit: Ivan Nikolov/WENN)

The Cost of Success: Public Scrutiny and Divorce

Though Giada De Laurentiis is a bonafide culinary tour de force, her appearance often attracts more attention than her accomplishments. In fact, she has been referred to as a “sex symbol” in the food world, and there are forums across the web dedicated to her sex appeal.

“I don’t really think I’m a sex symbol,” she admitted during an interview with Today. “I mean, when you remember growing up, remember being sick and throwing up, there’s no way you can think of yourself as sexy.”

To make matters worse, the chef was constantly accused of infidelity by the tabloids, erroneously reporting about affairs with other celebrities like Bobby Flay and Matt Lauer.

Giada De Laurentiis flashes her signature smile while signing copies of her cookbook, Everyday Pasta, dressed in a crisp white shirt layered under a black-and-brown striped sweater and accessorized with a bold cocktail ring in New York City on April 5, 2007 (Credit: Roger Wong / INFphoto)

Though De Laurentiis said she tried not to read the tabloids and strange posts objectifying her body, apparently, her now-ex, Todd Thompson, did.

When Today asked how he handled the attention his then-wife received, the chef responded, “He has good and his bad days. Most of the time he can laugh at it and brush it off, but sometimes he does get uncomfortable. We’ve been together for 20 years … we met when we were 19, and we’ve traveled this long path together. I always say that if I wasn’t with Todd, I’d be alone, because most men can’t handle it. He’s just such a good guy and it takes a certain type of man who doesn’t feel overshadowed by his woman. Sometimes, he does say, “I want you back the way you used to be,” but there’s no going back, so we just work through it together.”

Giada De Laurentiis highlights a noticeable height difference with Todd Thompson as they pose affectionately—she wears a flowing teal blouse with dark jeans, while he keeps it casual in a pale pink polo and black pants (Credit: Alex Oliveira / Startraksphoto)

Unfortunately, Todd Thompson couldn’t handle it—the pair divorced in 2015.

Dividing Assets: Giada and Todd’s Prenup-Free Split

Perhaps it was due to meeting and marrying so young—besides, no one ever expects to become a world-renowned chef worth an estimated $30 million—but Giada De Laurentiis and Todd Thompson never signed a prenuptial agreement.

Giada De Laurentiis beams with pride as she holds baby Jade, dressed casually in a light button-down shirt and jeans while attending a family-friendly event shortly after becoming a mom at 37 (Credit: Michael Williams / Startraksphoto)

Splitting the couple’s assets wasn’t easy. Still, TMZ acquired a copy of the couple’s settlement, which stated that De Laurentiis was able to keep all of the rights to her companies (Linguine Productions and GDL Foods, Inc.) but owed Thompson half of all unpaid advances for the (many, we assume) cookbooks she was actively writing. Thompson was also granted the couple’s $3.2 million mansion and furnishings.

Co-Parenting Jade: Life After Divorce

Giada De Laurentiis gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Jade Marie De Laurentiis, in 2008. She has frequently expressed that it is difficult for her to balance family life with her career. However, she does love her daughter very much.

According to the report acquired by TMZ, De Laurentiis and Thompson have opted for joint custody of their daughter, with the chef ordered to pay $9,000 a month for child support.

Giada De Laurentiis and daughter Jade coordinate in vibrant lace looks at the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards, with Giada in a stunning form-fitting red gown and Jade in a flared pastel pink dress with tiered mesh detailing (Credit: Sara De Boer / Startraksphoto)

However, the chef is not required to provide spousal support. After all, Todd Thompson seems to have made out pretty well during the divorce.

Though rumors of infidelity (from either party) are unsubstantiated, the reasons behind Giada De Laurentiis’ divorce from Todd Thompson may be simple—she’s a beautiful, powerful woman who wants to focus on her career, and he couldn’t handle the publicity.

Standing at a petite 5’3″ (160 cm), Giada De Laurentiis consistently demonstrates that great style can come in small packages. Her presence at the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection exemplifies her role as a fashion icon, seamlessly balancing elegance with an approachable charm. She boosted her height at ELLE’s 19th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration in chic black mesh peep-toe heels.

Petite Celebrities Who Elevate Style at 5’3”

Standing at approximately 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm), these celebrities showcase how the right pair of heels can amplify presence and style. Here’s how they do it:

Millie Bobby Brown’s Chic Heel Choices

• Height: 5’3½” (161.3 cm)
• Signature Style: Millie often opts for designer heels to complement her outfits, enhancing her stature on the red carpet.
• Footwear Highlights: She has been seen in Stuart Weitzman lace-up boots and Louis Vuitton heels, showcasing her evolving fashion sense.
• Discover more: Millie Bobby Brown’s height and shoe size details

Scarlett Johansson’s Elegant Elevation

• Height: 5’3″ (160 cm)
• Signature Style: Scarlett embraces her height with confidence, often choosing heels that add a touch of elegance to her ensembles.
• Footwear Highlights: She favors brands like Prada and Gianvito Rossi to complete her red carpet looks.
• Read more: Scarlett Johansson’s height and shoe size insights

Renée Zellweger’s Classic Heel Moments

• Height: 5’3″ (162.6 cm)
• Signature Style: Renée often selects timeless heels that complement her classic fashion choices, adding subtle height.
• Footwear Highlights: She has been spotted in elegant pumps that enhance her sophisticated style.
• Learn more: Renée Zellweger’s height and shoe size information

Lucy Liu’s Bold Heel Statements

• Height: 5’1½” (156.2 cm)
• Signature Style: Lucy isn’t afraid to make bold statements with her footwear, often choosing heels that stand out.
• Footwear Highlights: From metallic peep-toe heels to vibrant designs, her choices add flair to her outfits.
• Explore further: Lucy Liu’s height and shoe size details

Thandiwe Newton’s Striking Heel Selections

• Height: 5’3½” (161.3 cm)
• Signature Style: Thandiwe often opts for heels that add a striking element to her outfits, enhancing her presence.
• Footwear Highlights: She has been seen in Jimmy Choo and Nicholas Kirkwood designs that elevate her style.
• Find out more: Thandiwe Newton’s shoe moments and height details

These celebrities exemplify how embracing one’s height with the right footwear choices can lead to stunning fashion statements.