Actor Colin Firth and his wife, Livia, are living proof that love conquers all. The couple attended the 2018 Met Gala held on Monday in New York City and even stopped to pose for the cameras on the red carpet, despite Livia coming forward back in March and revealing she had had an affair with Italian journalist Marco Brancaccia, who was credited as being a “former friend.” Livia decided to end the 11-month relationship in 2016 , but the Firths claim that’s when things got ugly. Upon revealing the affair, the couple also stated that Brancaccia, 55, began stalking Livia, 48, after the affair was over.
The Firths have been married since 1997 and share two sons, Luca (16) and Matteo (15). They admitted that they had made a joint decision to separate and it was during this time that the affair occurred. Brancaccia has been claiming his innocence since the accusation was brought to light. “The reality is that Livia and I have known each other since we were youths, then in 2015-2016 we had an 11-month love affair. After it ended in June 2016 I never called her again,” he said. The journalist did, however, admit to messaging Livia a couple times and even admitted to sending the Kingsman actor an email relaying his relationship with the actor’s wife, which he “now regrets” doing.
The dapper Colin Firth #metgala @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/yQNfpWsC8P
— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) May 7, 2018
The King’s Speech actor’s wife sought out the Italian court to file a legal complaint on the alleged stalking, which was documented as having lasted for “several months.” To corroborate his innocence, Brancaccia spoke with the British newspaper The Times and claimed that Livia was willing to leave her husband for him. He also claimed that “she filed a complaint against me for stalking out of fear that I could go public with what she had revealed to me about her marriage and work.” In an even more dramatic statement, Brancaccia said, “In a year she sent me hundreds of messages of love, photos and videos, even a diary.” Whether or not the jilted ex-lover has any proof has yet to be made public.
Alas, despite Brancaccia’s futile claims that he never stalked Livia once she ended the affair, he was officially charged with stalking the Oscar-winning actor’s wife last week. Prosecutor Maria Monteleone reportedly went on record as saying, “We think we have enough evidence, otherwise we would not have asked for a trial.” If he is found guilty, Brancaccia could be hit with a five-year prison sentence.