Italian PM Giorgia Meloni announces split with boyfriend

Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she has split from her longtime partner and television journalist Andrea Giambruno.

Meloni, the far-right leader whose spotlight on the world stage increased dramatically when she became the first female prime minister of Italy last fall, announced the split from Giambruno with whom she shares a 7-year-old daughter in a post on social media.

"My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost 10 years, ends here," Meloni said. "I thank him for the splendid 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."

The split came after Giambruno, a presenter on the news talk show Diario Del Giorno, made lewd comments off-air that were broadcast by another show on the same network.

In the clips he could be heard asking a female colleague "Why didn't I meet you before?" and declaring "Let's have a threesome, even a foursome," when discussing adding another member to the show.

Meloni and Giambruno first met during a television interview and his past on-air comments have drawn criticism to the prime minister.

In September, Giambruno said women should "avoid getting drunk" to prevent rape but Meloni said his comments were "hasty" and had been misinterpreted.

"Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it," Meloni said Friday I will defend what we were, I will defend our friendship, and I will defend, at all costs, a seven-year-old girl who loves her mother and loves her father, as I was unable to love mine. I have nothing else to say about this."