Giuliana Rancic has put on a brave face, but the 37-year-old E! News host admits she has some fears about her upcoming double mastectomy.
"[I'm scared] just of the unknown," she tells Us Weekly. "I've never been through anything like this. I'm scared of waking up and the pain. I do hear it's a painful recovery, so I worry about that."
Why is Giuliana getting her surgery before the new year? "It's a great time to do it," she says. "I'll be recovering during the holidays. It's kind of quiet, and my family — and of course [my husband] Bill will be with me, so it's great."
Bill, 40, adds that the duo "wanted to bring in 2012 [and] not look back."
"There's something really symbolic about starting out the new year like this," he says. "I always tell Giuliana, once the clock strikes midnight, we're taking the rear view mirror off the car and we're not looking back because we're going to be done. No looking over her shoulder, no worries. We can start living life."
Fortunately, Giuliana tells Us with a mastectomy there's "less than a one percent chance [the cancer] would ever reoccur."
"I have an incredible job that lets me reach a lot of people," she adds graciously. "The fact that I can be a voice for women and tell them they do have options… is great. I have gotten so many 'Thank you's.' It's humbling… I've never felt I wanted to help people as much as I do now."