Livia Firth has admitted to having an affair with the Italian man who she has accused of stalking her. The relationship took place during a separation from her husband, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, in 2015.
The police are investigating 55-year-old Marco Brancaccia, a journalist who is based in Brazil, after Firth reported him for harassing her with a ‘frightening’ ordeal of threatening messages. In response, Brancaccia said that Firth was trying to cover up their affair, which she has since admitted took place.
‘My ‘stalking’ consisted of two messages via WhatsApp after she ended our relationship in June 2016, and an email,’ he told The Times. ‘I wrote an email to Colin about my relationship with Livia, which I now regret sending, and 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 a year she sent me hundreds of messages of love, photos and videos, even a diary.’
The Firths have since released a joint statement via a representative, saying: ‘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.’
Livia and Colin Firth have been married since 1997, and have two children together. They split their time between their homes in Chiswick, West London and Umbria in Italy. Last year, The Kings Speech actor made headlines when he announced that he had become an Italian citizen in the wake of Brexit.