X Factor Hopeful tells of ex ordeal
An Italian singer bidding for stardom on The X Factor has revealed she feared for her life as a brutal ex beat her.
Marianna Zappi told the judges she was choked and held at knife-point, adding: “I thought he was going to kill me. If I hadn’t left him, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Marianna, 34, who hopes to win a place in Sharon Osbou r ne ’ s “Ov er s ” category, revealed her ordeal went on for four years.
She met the man nine years ago after moving to London to fur ther her singing career and moving into the same block of flats as him.
Marianna – who has sung for Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict – said: “It was special to begin with. I fell in love with him.”
But eight months in, she said, he attacked her for the first time.
Then the v iolence escalated after he lost his job and turned to drink and drugs. By the last year of their relationship, she would face horrific abuse almost every other day.
Marianna added: “Music was my salvation.
“One of my friends listened to one of the songs and said, ‘ You are writing about this relationship. You need to get out.’
She sought help from The Women’s Trust and has gone on to be an ambassador for them.
She’s now hoping to reach out to other men and women suffering domestic violence.
She said: “People need to read the signs and get help.”