Television journalist Nancy Grace is holding her infant twins, and it's getting hard to stop the crying. As she sits in a rocking chair in her Manhattan apartment, she cradles little John David in her right arm and Lucy Elizabeth in her left. Luckily, both babies seem oblivious to the waterworks; they're still soundly sleeping. It's Grace who can't keep from sobbing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she says, sniffling. "I just...I still can't believe they're here, you know? I can't believe they're mine and that this is my life. I just never believed this could happen to me."

In fact, given Grace's professional reputation, most of her fans would be surprised by the cozy domesticity of this scene. Born in Macon, GA -- and speaking with a drawl that turns her last name into "Gryce" -- Grace has always been more steel magnolia than Southern belle. A former special prosecutor in her home state, Grace, 48, eventually found a new career on cable, hosting a current-affairs show in which she tackles breaking legal news. But what has made her truly famous, first on Court TV and now on CNN, is her on-air demeanor, which ranges from aggressive to accusatory as she delves into high-profile cases. An outspoken media fixture during Michael Jackson's trial, Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and Anna Nicole Smith's death, she has made headlines for her willingness to condemn alleged perpetrators before they've been found guilty. But her hard-edged style has won her as many fans as detractors. Her intensity, she says, stems from a deep and personal connection to crime victims. When Grace was 19, her world was shattered when her fiancé, Keith Griffin, was brutally shot and killed by a coworker. The experience inspired her to go to law school and crusade for victims' rights. But, she says now, it also led her to shut down emotionally.

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