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Giuliana Rancic, the E! host and star of the reality show 'Giuliana & Bill,' announced Monday on 'Today' that she would be undergoing a double mastectomy in her battle against breast cancer. The surgical procedure is more drastic than the course of treatment she had planned initially, when she told 'Today' in October that she would treat the disease with a double lumpectomy and six weeks of radiation therapy. But after the lumpectomies failed to remove all of the cancer cells, she changed course, and updated viewers on her treatment plan.

"Now, instead of radiation I'm going to go ahead and move forward with a double mastectomy," Rancic said stoically. When Ann Curry asked if that decision was related to her desire to have children, Rancic confirmed that had something to do with it. "That was actually a big part of it ... if I had chosen just to do another lumpectomy and then do radiation and then do anti-estrogen therapy, which means 2-5 years of medication that basically puts me into early menopause, then I would have to put off having a baby for several years," Rancic explained.

"But to be honest, at the end, what it really came down to was choosing to live, and not having to look over my shoulder for the rest of the my life ... So for me it was just very important to get the cancer out," she said.

Rancic explained that the double mastectomy, which will surgically remove both of her breasts, moves her chances of a recurrence down to 1%, as compared to another lumpectomy, which would have left it closer to 20-30%.

The couple's desire to have children was one of the central focuses of reality show 'Giuliana & Bill.' One of the reasons doctors were able to find the cancer so early was because of a mammogram Rancic's doctor suggested while she was undergoing IVF therapy.

While Rancic has a tough road ahead, she credited her husband Bill with helping her stay strong and remain focused on a healthy future. "I couldn't be more at peace with the decision," she said. "I still break down some nights. When it's quiet in bed, it's easy to start crying and just be sad. But I'm OK."