Giuliana Rancic recovering after breast cancer surgery

"Giuliana is a trooper. She pulled through it," Bill Rancic, 40, said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Rancic had cancerous growths in both breasts removed


• Doctors also removed lymph nodes


• Bill says the surgery, which lasted two hours, appeared to be successful

() -- Giuliana Rancic underwent a double lumpectomy on Tuesday as part of , her husband Bill Rancic said Thursday on the Today show.

The E! News host, 37, removed. Doctors also removed lymph nodes that they believed may have been affected.

"Giuliana is a trooper. She pulled through it," Bill Rancic, 40, said. "She's relieved to have it over with and get the cancer out. She's doing well at home and recovering -- and I'm adding nurse to my resume. She's having fun with that."

Bill says the surgery, which lasted two hours, appeared to be successful, and a follow up appointment will determine if the cancer, which was caught in the early stages while the couple were undergoing their third round of in vitro fertilization, had spread to the lymph nodes.

"Giuliana has had a . Between the IVF attempts and now with this, I wish I could carry some of the load," he said. "Watching her being wheeled into the [operating room] was heartbreaking for me."

But the pair are taking a positive approach to her treatment. "We're viewing this as a gift, that it was caught very early," he says.

She's also due to begin six weeks of radiation soon. Then, says Bill, "We will kick off 2012 with a new outlook on life."

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