Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy announced her separation from her partner, television journalist Andrea Giambruno. Giambruno had faced public backlash for his recent sexist remarks, both on and off the air.
"My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here,"?Meloni wrote on her social media accounts on Friday.
"Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it,"?she added. The couple has a seven-year-old daughter.
Giambruno hosts a news program broadcast by Mediaset, under the MFE media group, owned by Silvio Berlusconi's heirs. Berlusconi is a former prime minister and an ally of Meloni.
This week, another Mediaset show aired off-air clips from Giambruno's program, where he used inappropriate language and seemed to be making advances toward a female colleague on two separate occasions.
"Why didn't I meet you before?"?he tells her.
In the second, more explicit recording broadcast on Thursday, Giambruno bragged about an extramarital relationship and suggested to his female colleagues that they could secure employment with him if they participated in group sexual activities.
In August, the TV journalist faced extensive criticism for his comments that appeared to blame the victim in a gang rape case.
"If you go dancing, you have every right to get drunk¡ªthere shouldn't be any kind of misunderstanding or any kind of problem¡ªbut if you avoid getting drunk and losing your senses, you might also avoid running into certain problems and coming across a wolf,"?he said during his program.
Following the earlier episode, Meloni asserted that she should not be held accountable for her partner's remarks and declared that she would refrain from responding to inquiries regarding his actions.?
Additionally, her visit to New Delhi for the G20 Summit garnered widespread attention on social media, particularly her warm rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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