Giuliana and Bill Rancic's Road to Baby!

We retrace the steps the couple have taken to today's announcement that they're going to be parents

By Natalie Finn Apr 23, 2012 4:00 PMTags
Bill Rancic, Giuliana RancicMichael Loccisano/Getty Images for NIVEA

A dream has come true for Giuliana Rancic—she's going to be a mom.

The E! News anchor and hubby Bill Rancic, who faced down a tough year and came out stronger on the other side, revealed today that they're expecting their first child via gestational surrogate.

So, what better time is there to look back at the incredible bond thay've forged since meeting nearly eight years ago?

April 2004: Giuliana and Bill meet cute when she shows up to interview him for E! News after he wins the inaugural season of The Apprentice. Sparks may have flown, but they don't start dating just yet.

February 2006: They meet again when Giuliana interviews Bill at a Boys & Girls Club event in Santa Monica. She asks him on-camera if he's dating anybody. When the cameras stop rolling, he asks her out.

Dec. 16, 2006: Giuliana and Bill announce their engagement a night after he pops the question during a scenic helicopter ride over Chicago. "It was the best night of my life," says the bride-to-be.

Sept. 1, 2007: The couple have a destination dream wedding, starting with a ceremony at the 500-year-old Santa Sophia Church in Anacapri, Italy, and continuing into the wee hours with a reception in a nearby piazza. The bride wears Monique Lhuillier, while the groom wears a tux designed by his father-in-law.

January 2008: Giuliana denies that she's pregnant, quipping at a Sundance event, "I bet Ryan Seacrest started the rumor!"

Aug. 5, 2009: Giuliana & Bill, chronicling the couple's at-time long-distance romance as they navigate between L.A. and Chicago, premieres on the Style Network. (Style & E! Online are part of the NBCUniversal family.) On the eve of the show's debut, Giuliana tells reporters she's not afraid of the reality-TV-couples curse. "If you are strong enough as a couple, reality shows can be a good thing for the relationship," she says.

September 2010: Giuliana and Bill reveal that she suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year after getting pregnant following their first try at in vitro fertalization. "Both of us were in shock," Bill told People. "Failure wasn't an option!" "We are really looking at all of our options," Giuliana said on The View. "I mean, listen, whether it's IVF or whatever it is, we want to have a baby and we will have a baby."

Oct. 17, 2011: Giuliana reveals that she was diagnosed with breast cancer while undergoing another round of IVF treatments. Doctors found the tumor during a routine mammogram, leading her to speak out about the importance of regular self-examination and preventative care.

Oct. 18, 2011: Giuliana undergoes a double lumpectomy—and is back at work a week later! "I still do have a bit of a road ahead of me, but it's nothing I can't handle," she tells Seacrest on E! News.

Dec. 13, 2011: She continues treatment with a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Bill tells E! News the next day, "She had a little bit of pain through the night but is feeling much better this morning and was cracking jokes."

Jan. 7: "I never thought my marriage could be stronger, or I could be closer to Bill," Giuliana says at an E! luncheon during the Television Critics Assocation press tour. "We prayed on our own, but now we prayed together and you'll never know how much that means until you do it."

Feb. 18: Giuliana and Bill throw an opening-night bash at RPM Italian, their new restaurant in Chicago.

April 2: On the Today show, Giuliana and Bill discuss plans for the feature, revealing that they're considering all of their family-planning options, including adoption and surrogacy. "You're going to love that baby, and that's all that matters," she says.

April 18: NBC announces Ready for Love, a new dating series from Eva Longoria's production company, to be hosted by Giuliana and Bill, premiering this winter.

April 23: The happy couple joyfully announce that they are expecting their first child via a surrogate.

Congrats, G & B! We wish you all the best!