Italian PM breaks up with partner over sexist remarks

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has ended her relationship with presenter Andrea Giambruno after he made a series of embarrassing and sexist comments.

Meloni announced the separation on social media, two days after off-air recordings of Giambruno's inappropriate remarks towards his colleague were released.

Giambruno is a presenter on Mediaset's talk show, The Diary of the Day.

The couple was together for almost a decade

The couple, who have a seven-year-old daughter named Ginevra, were together for almost a decade. In her statement, Meloni expressed gratitude for the wonderful years they shared and the challenges they faced together. 

"Our paths have diverged for some time, and it's time to acknowledge that," she said.

The first recording, revealed on another Mediaset show, captured Giambruno complaining about criticism towards his hairstyle before making an inappropriate comment to his colleague. In the second recording, he suggested involving another participant in the show, proposing a threesome or even a foursome. 

'I will protect who we were'

Meloni emphasized her commitment to protecting their past friendship and safeguarding her daughter, stating, "I will protect who we were, our friendship, and above all, a seven-year-old girl who loves her mother and father in a way that I could not love my own."

She also addressed those who aimed to weaken her by attacking her personal life, asserting that no matter how much hope is invested in damaging her, she remains resilient like a stone, and the accusations are mere drops of water. 

"My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here," Meloni said. "I thank him for the wonderful years we spent together, for the difficulties we went through, and for giving me the most important thing in my life, which is our daughter Ginevra."

La mia relazione con Andrea Giambruno, durata quasi dieci anni, finisce qui. Lo ringrazio per gli anni splendidi che abbiamo trascorso insieme, per le difficoltà che abbiamo attraversato, e per avermi regalato la cosa più importante della mia vita, che è nostra figlia Ginevra.… pic.twitter.com/1IpvfN8MgA

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) October 20, 2023

Back in September, Giambruno came under fire for his remarks suggesting that women could avoid rape by not getting drunk. Meloni defended him at the time, stating that his words were misinterpreted and hastily spoken but mirrored the advice her mother had given her - to be cautious and aware. Giambruno has also made controversial statements denying the existence of a climate crisis, dismissing record-breaking summer temperatures in Italy as insignificant news. 

Meloni, who came to power in October following her far-right Brothers of Italy party's victory in the general election, grew up with a single mother and had a strained relationship with her father.

Meloni and Giambruno met at the Mediaset studio before she joined the show, after a day of political rallies. He recounted their first encounter as "love at first sight," remembering how a tired Meloni handed him a half-eaten banana, mistaking him for her assistant before heading to the set.