Italian Livia admits fling with old friend during a secret split from film star
ACTOR Colin Firth’s wife has admitted she had a fling with the man she accuses of stalking her.
Police in Italy are probing Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli’s accusations against journalist Marco Brancaccia.
She claimed yesterday that he harassed her with a frightening campaign of messages after she called off their affair.
Livia, 48, says she began seeing Brancaccia, a childhood friend, while she was secretly separated from Love, Actually and The King’s Speech star Firth.
She has been married to the 57-year-old English actor since 1997.
Brancaccia insists the alleged stalking only amounted to one email and two WhatsApp messages after Livia called off their relationship in June 2016.
She claims she began receiving threatening texts and calls from him.
Details of the police investigation first appeared in Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
They said Brancaccia had threatened to write compromising articles about the couple and had emailed photographs to Firth which prompted him to alert prosecutors.
A spokesman for the Firths said: “A few years ago, Colin and Livia privately made the decision to separate. During that time Livia briefly became involved with former friend Mr Brancaccia. The Firths have since reunited.
“Subsequently, Mr Brancaccia carried out a frightening campaign of harassment over several months, much of which is documented.”
Firth and Livia have two sons, Luca, 16, and Matteo, 13. They live in west London, but own a house near the community of Citta della Pieve in Umbria.
Italy introduced a law against stalking in 2009. If found guilty, Brancaccia, 55, could face up to four years in jail.
His lawyers say he had “absolutely nothing to do with the events described and has already filed a legal complaint to protect his good name and his honour”.
On top of her work as a producer, Livia travels the world as an ambassador for Oxfam.
She is also a founding member of The Circle, a women’s advocacy group set up by singer Annie Lennox.