39. Donatella Arpaia

39. Donatella Arpaia

Celebrity chef Donatella Arpaia announced she was cooking up something special with her husband Allan Stewart in May of 2018; twins! She'd already given birth in her forties - or, to be precise, on her 40th birthday, September 15th, 2011, which was when her son Alessandro arrived into this world.

The couple always wanted more children and struggled for years trying various methods of fertility treatment until something just clicked at the start of the year, and everything fell into place. Arpaia welcomed her 'miracle babies' in November 2018; a son named Noah and a daughter named Emma Mariella. Alessandro is actually credited with making the whole thing happen; he had a dream that he had twin siblings, and telling his parents about the dream is what inspired them to give IVF another try. Alessandro's dream went as far as naming the children; names which at first didn't appeal to Arpaia, but the moment they were born she confesses not being able to imagine calling them anything else.

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Did You Know...

I

Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.

II

Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.

III

Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.

IV

Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.

V

Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.

VI

Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.

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