Just a few weeks ago, the Colin Firth-Nicole Kidman movie Before I Go To Sleep was on, and I ended up watching the whole damn thing. It was awful! I mean, I kept watching it because there was something compelling about it, but it was difficult to see Firth play that kind of role. If you prefer to think of him as one of the Darcys, don’t watch that movie because he plays a creepy bastard and he does it well. As I’m covering this Firth story, I keep having flashbacks to Before I Go To Sleep and I keep thinking, nonsensically, “Livia cheated on him because he was so good at being creepy AF in that movie.”
Anyway, it’s looking more and more like Colin Firth was actually the tragic victim in this sordid horror show. Colin’s wife Livia cheated on him with Marco Brancaccia, and when Livia broke off the affair, Brancaccia freaked out (allegedly) and started stalking her and harassing her and he even sent an email to Firth, with a photo of Livia included. Brancaccia claims that Firth responded to the email – Brancaccio says now that the split “hurt me very much so I wrote to him and told him everything about our affair. After a couple of days he answered. He was polite. He wrote something along the lines of, ‘You hurt me, but I understand that you are hurting too.’ After that, I never got in touch with them again.” But that shortly after he sent the email, the police were at his door. He also says that Livia ended their affair abruptly when he (Marco) asked her to leave Firth. The originating circumstances even bizarrely mirror the plot of Before I Go To Sleep.
Many of us have been wondering if Colin and Livia were ever actually separated or going through a rough time during the span of Livia’s affair, which went from mid-2015 into 2016. During that time, Livia and Colin were often on red carpets together, presenting a stable-couple image, and Colin even showed up for Livia’s various projects and more. It’s totally possible they could have been having issues behind the scenes. But it just feels, to me, like Colin Firth is trying to protect his wife even though she was screwing around on him internationally. But for now, they are united and they want us to know they are united:
Colin Firth and wife Livia Giuggioli’s marriage is solid despite last week’s revelation that Giuggioli had a romance with another man during a recent separation, sources tell PEOPLE.
“These two have a solid commitment, are on the same level, and worked through it,” says a source. “They got back together, and things are fine. They have a good marriage.”
“It’s not uncommon for a marriage to go through periods where it seems stale, especially with children involved,” adds the source. The couple, who wed in 1997, have two sons, 16-year-old Luca and 15-year-old Matteo.
They “have a committed relationship,” says another show business source.
“It’s not uncommon for a marriage to go through periods where it seems stale…” Ouch. I mean, that’s obviously true and many marriages have ebbs and flows and sometimes you want to burn the house down every time your husband has a fart attack. But coming after this admission of a lengthy affair, it sounds like a really bitchy excuse for why Livia couldn’t keep it in her pants? “We were going through a stale period, that’s why I was banging that guy for 11 months!” And there are many women who would LOVE to withstand a stale period with Colin Firth. Just sayin’. Also: of course none of this makes it okay that Marco stalked and harassed Colin and Livia. But Colin and Livia are also trying to convince us that their marriage is 100% fine now. And I’m just feeling like… ORLY???
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I don’t know…I think it’ possible they were separated behind closed doors, that’s why he forgave her.
‘The way Colin reacted to revelation in his email to this dude, no it doesn’t seem like separation at all.
Colin reacted by saying his old friend Marco had hurt him by sending him details of a relationship with his then separated wife (with whom he was now attempting to reconcile ). That seems about right. Who wants to hear those details much less get a pic from a guy you have had in your house even if you were separated?
Actually Colins restrained reaction is what confirms that they were indeed separated. That is not the email of a man whose life of 20 years has just shattered before his eyes.
I agree. I don’t believe they were separated. Even the narrative doesn’t support that. They would be pushing that with details of the separation to make sure it was understood.
It’s been mentioned here and there that he looked gaunt during 2015/16 which would have been the timeline of this business, so i googled it and this DM article popped up mentioning how thin he was. Except they think he was on a health kick. Now that we know his business during that timeframe, his gaunt appearance then makes sense.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3591844/Has-Colin-Firth-lost-weight-British-star-looked-uncharacteristically-gaunt-Cannes-Film-Festival.html
@Frome, I disagree. I think it just shows that he’s attempting to handle it with as much magnanimity as he can in his situation. It does him credit, because god knows what he sees in his wife that he still wanted to work on the marriage with her even after something like that. I’m just impressed that he didn’t separate right then and go find an apartment somewhere to cool off. That’s what I would have done.
I think so too. Lets face it, we live in a patriarchal society that trains boys from the moment they can speak to read female infidelity as the ultimate attack on their masculinity. The studies reflect this. Gay men and straight men hold very different perspectives on both infidelity and open marriage.
When a guy stays there are probably extenuating circumstances there. In this case, they were probably on a break.
I usually think the same, but in this case… Firth is a liberal (in the uk political sense), very clear in his ideales, but not so much in his private life. They have children, and he seems too civil, I truly think he is saving face for the sake of his family. They might have been having a bad moment in their relationship, but I don’t think it meant that they were free to engage with others.
@Ellaus, he also was very outspoken against Brexit and even once implied he could move to Italy if Brexit happens. So imagine how extra humiliating it’s for him now. I mean his Italian wife cheated on him with Italian lover.
I think it’s a face-saving lie, but I also think it is entirely possible the Livia had already told Colin what she’d done and they recommitted to the marriage.
I also think it is probably a little bit of face saving. Even if they were separated it seems incredibly messy to hook up with a long-time friend of both of theirs. It shows incredibly poor judgment on her part and frankly Colin deserves better!
Who knows. As far as I can make out, they’ve been pretty private and have only issued any kind of statement over this because they had to. I don’t think we can speculate based on Colin’s (alleged) reaction. “Stiff upper lip” and all that seems to be a common British thing, no matter how bad or good something is, and Colin has maintained that kind of image. So who knows. He could be shattered. He could be more annoyed that the public knows his private business than angry at his wife.
Once this is over, they will jointly announce a real separation.
That’s what I think too. Unless Firth enjoys being cuckolded. Some men do apparently.
In any case there is no way their marriage is “100 percent” fine already, it takes years to build up the trust again after an affair. And few couples ever succeed in making it a good relationship again.
why would a decision to stay together mean he “enjoys being cuckholded?”
I’m sorry but that’s a really nasty thing to assume and say. Believe it or not, even when shattered by a spouse’s infidelity, some people feel that they can work out whatever underlying issues (including “stale periods” which, IMNSHO, are probably the most common reason couples split – they can’t handle mundane life despite the fact that most of your life is, generally, mundane) in the marriage. When you actually love and like someone, enjoy being with them, and have a lot invested in a relationship, it’s worth trying to work out if your partner feels the same and is equally willing to do the work
Just because some relationships never get restored, why would that mean he shouldn’t at least try? He’s built his whole life with her and has two children with her. Why is he obligated to chuck all that out the window? He’s having a startlingly mature response here. If he wanted to separate, he would have done so after the affair came to his knowledge. For whatever reason, he didn’t.
Let’s at least give him some measure of credit for wanting to work on his marriage and wish him well on that front. Whatever said and done, he deserves a decent relationship with his wife if that’s what he wants. Nothing wrong with doing the work to get there.
I think so too.
I have the same feeling. I mean the way she had this affair and now all their crap is being dragged out for consumption. I doubt they will make it. Or at least without help
I agree.
Yeah, this is too much on top of trying to rebuild.
Sometimes that is for the best for all involved.
100%
If they do, I think they’ll wait awhile. Perhaps in the fall, or early next year. Or they won’t announce anything at all but will quietly lead separate lives.
“sometimes you want to burn the house down every time your husband has a fart attack”
TRUE. STORY.
I cackled at that! My husband has developed the endearing habit of leaving sh*t streaks in the toilet. I’ve taken to yelling “who are you leaving that there for???!!”
I would have filed for divorce years ago. Farts I can live with but a man who cant use a toilet brush is a bridge too far.
“sometimes you want to burn the house down every time your husband has a fart attack”
‘
And it’s easy, you just light a match.
But I feel sad now that the image of Colin Firth/Darcy having a fart attack is forever burned in my brain.
VERY TRUE!!!
Yes. This is true. So, so true.
The ins and outs of actually living with someone, no matter how much you love them, are a long way from romance and mystery.
I had to learn this the hard way. I adore my father and grandfather and compared every man to them until I matured and realized I only see one side of them and love them from that perspective. Living with a romantic partner is VERY different.
I’m inclined to buy the separation story now, if only because it sounds like she was doing a lot of traveling to meet up with her lover in various places. Unless they had an arrangement, seems like it would have been difficult to hide.
That is actually the reason why I don’t fully buy the separation story. If Colin and Livia would have been separated why was traveling involved to meet the lover? She could have met this other guy at her home. Livia wouldn’t have to hide the traveling by itself, just the reason for it. And if she was on business trips (no idea what she is doing for a living) there would have been no reason for Colin to question the trips at all.
One big reason, she has children at home. And if they were keeping their separation quiet, another reason to keep your relationship away from your home.
Why? People traveling for work have the most amount of affairs. Its way easier to hide than at home. Unless she traveled more than usual it wouldnt stick out to Colin.
Not really. They have a traveling sort of marriage because of their jobs. If my husband or I wanted to cheat, we could make up plausible reasons for travel. We don’t have traditional careers and no patterned schedules.
If he trusted her, then he wouldn’t dig or be suspicious.
Eleven months?!? Dang, I didn’t realize that. Eleven months isn’t a fling. That’s a serious relationship. I don’t know if I could forgive that.
This. And the fact that, according to this article, the reason she ended it was because that Marco dude wanted them to be even more serious. Hadn’t he asked her to leave Colin, Livia would have go on with the affair for a longer time
That’s the part I keep returning to…not only the long duration of the affair, but the fact that it broke up because he wanted her to leave CF. She didn’t seem to care that she was cheating, but leave her husband? No.
Yeah he needs to be with someone who won’t cheat on him.
ALL marriages go through periods of meh but you work it out if you love the person. My husband and I have been married 20years and he’s no Colin Firth. Lol
I volunteer as tribute!
LOL he’s so dreamy!
Of course a marriage can become stale. It’s not always swinging from the rafters fantastic. The thing is, either walk away or invest the time and try to get your marriage on track. For
Stale marriages come from stale people. We all have to keep ourselves interesting and available – bring something to the party.
Right. I agree with you
Exactly.
I don’t think that’s true. I think everyone goes through times in their life when, for whatever reason, they’re just frustrated and unable to put an effort into the relationships they have with the people around them. I think expecting everyone to constantly keep themselves interesting and available is part of the problem–sometimes you’re not. Sometimes you don’t have the energy to be. Sometimes it’s hard. Exhausting even.
If you have someone you want to work at it for, then you should. But people should be honest about the times when they can’t.
Now. If you’re with someone who is exhausting you, then that’s different. And that’s a relationship to re-evaluate.
I’m not so sure this is true. My 27 year marriage just ended. Suddenly. Around a year ago. It was not me, I was willing to keep on going, trying therapy, not giving up. But then, I thought it was MY fault, my problem, that my husband was not present for me when my parents died, when my brother died, that we basically had no sex life, that he was unhappy.
But I love(d) him, we have an amazing 18yr. old daughter AND most importantly, I am now so much LESS depressed than I have been in years. Years and years. In fact, I started anti-depressants in my early 50’s. After 15 years together.
I don’t know what this means. I am certainly reeling from the end of my marriage. I thought we would be buried side by side. He is already well into another relationship which is….awful but at the same time…good for him. Last year I totally cutoff our friendship and I was his best friend. But we are civil and able to amicably divorce.
My marriage was stale and I am far from stale. Suddenly I feel back in my twenties – alone and scared but excited about the future. That’s the point I’m trying to make here. Not sure I succeeded. lol
Why would Colin lie about being separated at the time? Please remember that by the time they were issuing that statement they were well aware that this was already with the police. You are saying that Colin Firth is getting ready to perjur himself in the inevitable court case? For why? OK let’s say he is willing to commit this crime to protect his wife from ignominy. Then why not say they are still separated. Saying that they are besties and co-parents who attend functions to support each other but not actually a couple would help kill this story. They could even release some snippets about attending conscious uncoupling therapy like the Afflecks. That would help shift the story to a different subject. If the movie star was never cuckolded so the top tier outlets would move along and the scum gossip outlets seem even less reliable.
I believe them when they say they were separated. This other cheater theory is salacious but illogical.
“Why would Colin lie about being separated at the time?”
To save his face and face of their marriage…what’s left of it.
Read the whole post.
You are saying he set himself up for perjury to save face? Fine, then why not just lie that they are still separated and that way save her the adulteress rumors and himself the cuckold tales. If you are going to lie, you would extend the split to today rather than go with the reconciled narrative
‘Seperated’ was the story his rep fed the press..it wasn’t part of the filed complaint..perjury is only applicable regarding sworn statements. This will never go to court..that would out the correspondence they’re trying to hide.
“You are saying he set himself up for perjury to save face?”
He didn’t set himself up for anything. The legal issue here is if the guy was stalking them or not (that’s why they went to police and all) – him lying about separation wouldn’t change or affect legally the fact about stalking (if stalking really took place) .
“Fine, then why not just lie that they are still separated and that way save her the adulteress rumors and himself the cuckold tales.”
Because the affair already was over sometime ago and they were trying to sell that they were fine and fine now as a couple. Saying now that they still are separated (for several years in a row) surely won’t do anything to save the (now very damaged and ruined) public brand of Firth and of their marriage.
“You are saying he set himself up for perjury to save face? ” Colin isnt on trial. Anyway a seperation is between two adult people. There is no evidence of it happening or NOT happening. So they could never use it against them because t hey would both maintain they were seperated wether thats true or not.
A seperation has also nothing to do with the stalking charges. Even if they started the divorce.
I think From has a point. If you go to the cops, you must anticipate you will end up before a judge whether its in the criminal matter of stalking or the pursuit of a restraining order or in this case to fend off a defamation claim. He is out for maximum embarassment and there are a few other vexatious claims he could file just to be a pain.
He is already saying she is defaming him to protect her own name so that instantly makes the state of her marriage relevant. Incidentally the way depositions work, that statement they jointly made would be brought up by his lawyers. I have seen far more irrelevant things come up. The case wouldnt turn on that but you better believe that it would have to be addressed in the initial pleadings/defence and in court under oath.
“We were going through a stale period, that’s why I was banging that guy for 11 months!” and then “Our marriage is tots fine, yall”.
Oh dear, Livia not only screwed up, she screwed big time and actually looks really bad in all of this. And besides there is still no evidence that the guy actually stalked them. All it looks (so far) is that he was hurt by the way Livia treated him and just told about everything to Colin.
Just what I was going to write. 11 months? That’s not an oops or a fling.
I’ll be married 40 years in June so I know all about stale periods, believe me. But an 11 month affair involves a lot of deception and lying.
40 years! Congratulations. 🙂
That’s what I was thinking, is there any proof that the guy stalked her? They could easily dispute his few messages and email statement if there’s proof that he did more than that, but so far they haven’t or no one has countered that claim. Maybe just maybe he didn’t really stalk her?
I was wondering what he did too and why they felt they had to protect themselves. I am not accusing them of lying or anything, but I am just curious.
I’m wondering if she just threw the stalking accusation to try to seem like a victim.
It’s possible she lied to Colin about what the relationship with the other guy was like, and never thought that he was going to make his side of the story public.
They have offered no physical proof that this guy stalked her or that he is abusive to women. Telling your ex-lover’s spouse about an affair is not stalking. I’m not sure why this was even made public at this point.
Exactly. And she flat out lied that she barely knew her “stalker” when in fact she’d been in a serious fairly long-term relationship with him!
If there was no communication besides a few F-YOU texts and email to the husband revealing affair (not stalking in my mind)..I believe Livia And Colin played the stalking card to
1.) Livia used it to downplay and deflect from her role in the affair and appear as a victim.
2.) Colin used it to get revenge and punish the other man for sleeping with his wife
I was just reading some UK papers, and apparently he was sending harrassing phone calls and texts to Lavinia for several months before they filed Court docs. Then those documents were illegally released to the public. Way to go lavinia!
I don’t think their marriage is “totes fine!” I think they’re still actively working on it, or trying to at least, and this is throwing a wrench in the works. The united front is just a way to show to people and the stalker that they’re going into this together.
If you think that film shows a dark side, you should see Trauma..I like that he takes a chance..it’s called ‘acting’.. I’ll say it again..telling your lover’s hubby about the affair may be classless..but it’s not illegal..and he didn’t go to the press to ‘out’ her when it ended, which I think would be far more hurtful
Circle of Friends too, he was an a&$ hole in that one and that was the first movie I had ever seen him in so it took me a while to like him as the good guy.
Ugh. Normally I enjoy a good scandal but this is all just gross and sad. Oh and do I feel for their teenage sons! This must be horrendous to hear about publicly. Gee, thanks mom. 🙄
“Dear children, I was banging my old friend for 11 months, because me and dad had a stale period in marriage. It’s fine”.
That’s what I think too. I feel badly for their family-and that what must be very painful for them has to be played out in public too.
I know. If my parents had rough patches, I am not aware of it, and I don’t want to be either. They will have feelings about this, and I am sure they are hurt.
I feel really bad for Colin Firth in all this. Poor guy. It seems he has acted like a gentleman throughout.
Colin seems as stale as five day old bread. I’ll bet he’s quite controlling behind closed doors… And being polite in public doesn’t mean he’s nice in a relationship – believe me, I grew up around people who faked nice.
His wife was obviously in the wrong but I don’t buy what Colin’s selling.
Then maybe she should have asked for a divorce….?
Yep, if Colin is so stale and boring, then divorce him and get together with somebody fresh and exciting. Simple. Or she was afraid that nobody would pay attention to her eco-brand (whatever she has) and her eco-preaching unless she is Mrs. Firth?
Okay, stale and controlling, but she sure doesn’t mind the lifestyle he provided. She could have left at any time. This is all moot though if the separation story is true.
I’m sure planning to divorce someone isn”t easy. Especially if you have kids. Who’s to say he didn’t cheat on her first?
Planning to divorce someone isn’t easy, but carrying on an 11 month affair is?
If the sexes were flipped in this story would you be blaming the woman because her spouse cheated for 11 months?
Stale?
He’s aging like a fine wine, has millions of dollars, speaks several languages and even in this story conducted himself with exceptional grace. 10/10 WOULD BANG.
Yeah, didn’t he learn Italian just for her?
Lol, so you know Colin well?
And bought an Italian estate near her family, and has applied for dual citizenship. Seems like a pretty wonderful committed guy to me. Unless someone spills some dirty on him, and there’s been zero chatter in that regard, he seems pretty fabulous. Which makes her an idiot.
@tracking
IKR! All this story does is give me sympathy for Colin and like him a million times more than I did before (as in I just generally thought he was a decent guy)! The way he has handled this, has made me think that even though he’s a world famous actor, will have heart throb status until a nuclear bomb goes off and kills everyone who has ever known Mr. Darcy….and destroyed all copies of Pride and Prejudice………underneath it all, he is just a very, very sweet man. This is a sad story.
I’m guessing he and Livia are trying to work through it, and that’s their business, but I just feel sad for him. He is the nice guy who can’t win, in this scenario. I’m disgusted by all the comments blaming HIM for her cheating. If this story had come up that Colin had a year long affair WITH A FAMILY FRIEND, who then emailed his wife with evidence, there would be blood all over this thread. People would be declaring that he’s an asshole, bring up Meg Tilly and say he abandoned her with a baby (saw that on the last thread!) as evidence of his asshole-ness going back years (even though they broke up!)……..not looking for ways to excuse him cheating while his wife stayed at home and held down the fort, while he was off gallivanting with his side piece. Well, while Colin was away earning millions of dollars for THEIR family, she was off spending some of that money to see her lover (it can go both ways)….
@Lilith: because you know him?
What an asinine comment. None of us know him.
Agree with the above. It isn’t his fault. He’s a victim.
You can’t MAKE someone cheat or stray. They choose to do it.
There haven’t been rumors of him being an outright arse or even hints of it. If there were, we would know it because he works so much. He has done things to show the opposite.
Can you imagine blaming a woman for her husband’s cheating? That is what used to happen, and it was nasty then too. If she fixed herself up. If she hadn’t let herself go after the baby…if she wasn’t such a nag…
The cheater is the one to blame for the affair more than anyone else in the equation.
The stalking though is on Marco as is his choice to engage.
Yikes. Are you seriously blaming him? That’s like saying it’s understandable when a guy dumps his wife for a younger women because, you know, she got old.
No comment on the (faux) scandal but I agree, he seems like a mighty bore. The kind of guy who probably schedules intimacy time on his calender. Sundays at 10pm for 15 minutes only. Lights off ofcourse. And then after the sad act gets up to put on his striped pajamas. He doesnt even sound like he might at least be intellectually stimulating like a straight Stephen Fry. Women fell for Darcy and I doubt thats who he is in real life.
This is the kind of stuff that makes me laugh. You don’t have to “seem like” anything to be what that thing is in private. Believe me, my husband and I DO NOT “seem like” people who would engage in some of the stuff we do. But that doesn’t mean we don’t. What you “seem like” has nothing to do with anything.
If Livia is too bored to deal with the ups and downs with Colin then she should divorce him. She has a career, she wouldn’t be destitute and Colin would probably be decent with a settlement since they do have children. But something tells me she likes the upside of being Mrs. Firth
So Colin is boring (according to you) and that’s why it’s ok for Livia to cheat on him? Interesting excuse.
I think if a woman a bore than its okay for a husband to cheat. If she sucks well that her fault and the poor guy should be able to do what he wants. /ssssssss
Yeah, im gonna assume that attitude wouldn’t go over well with everyone saying that Colin seems like a bore. If we, as feminists, are going to hold men to a standard then we sure as hell should hold ourselves to said standard or else the “we want EQUALITY” message goes down the drain.
She has no right to cheat. If he’s that awful divorce him. I’m sure that would be easier on the kids than this mess. Shame on everyone excusing this because “he seems boring.”
I’m all for working things out, but cheating is where I draw the line.
Again if they were separated with the mutual understanding they could see other people that’s different. But if she stepped out then that’s plain wrong. Especially with someone who is within your social circle, I don’t know that just makes it worse when you know the other person.
Whoa whoa whoa, Tillerson is out.
Also, poor Colin. I think he’ll handle this better than Jennifer Aniston.
Since he will have about a million women throwing themselves at him, and the media doesn’t go out of its way to embarrass men in these situations, of course he’ll be fine.
Thank you, tracking.
What do you mean only a million? I’m thinking it might be closer to the billion mark.
It doesn’t sound like they were broken up or separated when Lavinia was banging the Italian bro… I mean, maybe Colin had an affair too…? Sounds pretty tragic though. I find it hard to have respect for people who cheat. I find it very weak. But I guess not everyone can be strong and break up with their partner before… this mess that can arise afterwards is much better!
“I mean, maybe Colin had an affair too…?”
And here we are again trying to blame a partner for wife’s cheating.
Someone was suggesting this yesterday as well. Nothing indicates this theory at all, but sure let’s blame him. I even bet, he cheated first and Livia just wanted to hurt him back. Or maybe he has done other terrible things to her. There is no way Livia just cheated because she was bored and had an opportunity.
Or maybe she was just bored? And thought she can get away with it? She got bored with the lover after 11 months and dumped him. Sometimes things can be that simple
11months is a long time for a revenge cheat. Even if they were separated.
A nearly one-year relationship and the lies are a full blown betrayal and an affair.
When I was separated my husband was open, he was dating someone, and I was open I was looking. I wasn’t hurt because I was thinking of divorce.
I just can’t stop feeling that there is more here.
Eleven months is a relationship. They weren’t just hooking up. They were already friends.
If he screwed up too and this was a retaliatory affair that would explain why he’s supporting the separation narrative. I suppose it’s possible they were separated. It’s just that 1. They were still seen together and 2. I don’t know many separated people who get back together.
I did. It can happen. However, sometimes people separate because they were done a long time before someone gets the courage to pull the plug. We needed a break to find each other again and work harder.
So I think it can happen. I have seen it happen but you are right more often it is just a step before divorce.
I hope they don’t issue anymore statements.
Their marriage is their business!
It seems like they may be trying to protect their kids, too, by trying to keep their marital issues private and to try to have a not-uncivil relationship?
She has so rarely looked relaxed in public photos – rare smiles, just seems tense, maybe intense. Over the years I have wondered about this.
This quickly went from good gossip to ewwww, I just don’t want to know anymore. It’s more fun when we read snippets woven out of fact and fiction and make up our own scenarios. This is a little too real for me to sip my morning tea over.
The affair was 11 months??? That seems like a long time. One night is bad enough, of course, but I was surprised by the length of this affair.
I feel sorry for the kids. This is embarrassing because none of it is made-up, and all of us know about it!
Sorry but a stale period doesn’t excuse a year long affair. Marriage isn’t one day of passion and bliss after another and the people who insist on pretending it is are lying. This relationship she had was in 2016 and we’re barely into 2018. You don’t have a year long affair and jump right back into stable marriage territory. Especially if your ex-lover is supposedly stalking you. I feel like he’s protecting her with the separation story. Regardless, she comes off really badly. I feel terribly for their two sons.
I wonder how their kids are feeling. This is playing out in the media and I doubt that they’ve been able to avoid all of it. I hope they’re okay and I hope they know it’s okay to be upset. My dad had an affair and secret family and it messed me up and I was an adult when it all came out, I can’t imagine it happening when I was a teen.
Also, 11 months is definitely not an oops, that’s a full blown, reassuring your side piece you’re leaving your partner and just waiting for the right time because reasons affair.
She doesn’t deserve to be stalked and harassed but she definitely deserves criticism for cheating.
Ugh Colin if I was older and single I would take you in my arms!!! Yes I get it married is hard but you don’t start banging randoms because you’re bored! Ugh livia is full of regret as she should be…hopefully he leaves her and finds a woman who deserves his devotion and she can bang more fun wang??
When kids are involved, ‘divorcing’ forthwith is rarely an option or the best solution. It takes time, the spouses are partners in raising a family first and foremost, in short, more to it than just them moving on. Sometimes, maybe not the case here I don’t know, a spouse looks very nice in public and is very controlling and verbally abusive behind closed doors. You still have to put a brave face for your kids, your work, etc. You try to stop the behavior, again the spouse is the parent of your kids whom he loves and love him. sometimes an emotional affair with someone who is nice with you and says your nice is must welcome. I never cheated but I know for some people the thought of it helps them to put through and keep going. I dont say its good or bad. I say life is a big grey bags of nuances.
So now our new hot take is that Colin Firth is actually abusive husband and that’s why Livia cheated on him? Lol. Why not the other way round? Livia is a manipulative and abusive partner, who does as she wants out of selfishness while Colin is a decent chap who tries to get along with whatever she does for the sake of kids?
I would argue that she is physically abusive as well, she is sleeping with another man and going home to her husband, bringing along the risk of all sorts of diseases risking her husbands health for some side-piece. Sounds abusive to me, also add in the emotional and mental abuses she inflicted on her husband, the marriage he has invested in emotionally and mentally was a lie, she has stood in front of him and lied about her whereabouts, what she did and who she did it with, that is a mindfu$k to a spouse to one day find out the life you thought you had is a fabrication.
The problem with blaming Firth for his wife’s affair, which I really don’t understand, is that she went back to him. If he was that bad I doubt she would.
This.
Especially when she was establishing a parallel relationship for 11months.
THANK YOU
There is nothing to support anything except that she cheated and lied for a year.
I’m sorry that but that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve read here in a long time.
Couples with kids get divorced every single day. Couples living in a single tiny home with no money get divorced every day. Couples with tiny children get divorced every day.
We are not living in the 18th century. Who, apart from perhaps some extremely religious people, believes “divorce is not an option” anymore?
The Firths are very wealthy and have multiple homes, and Colin presumably regularly spends long periods of time away from home on film sets. Until now they have not been in the tabloids or much in the public eye. And their sons are practically adults (one is 17 and the other nearly 15). There’s literally zero reason they could not just get a divorce if they wanted to.
I’m still not seeing any proof of stalking. Colin’s wife had an affair for almost a year with an old friend who was also a mutual friend of the Firth’s. After 11 months, she broke if off and ran back to Colin. The jilted lover decided to expose their affair to Colin. This is not uncommon when an affair ends and one of the cheaters runs back to their spouse. The only feeling of threat in this scenario was Livia fearing her secret year long love affair would be exposed to Colin and the public.
That this is playing out in court makes me pause. That DOES make me think the guy she had an affair with is a bit of a cuckoo. All 3 of them could have kept the affair secret from the public, but the fact that the couple were willing to take out a restraining order and have their mess exposed in the tabloids makes me think the other guy could be nuts. Why take the risk of all of this being known to the rest of us…unless the other guy was acting a bit strange. All of this is way too embarrassing, but they were willing to take the embarrassment if that meant they could get the other guy to leave them alone.
It’s not just the fact that she had an affair that is embarrassing. If we are to believe that they took out a restraining order because they feared harassment, then it’s the fact that she picked a guy who might boil a bunny in her pot that’s equally humiliating. Honestly, I would want to keep all of this a secret.
Both your scenerios are not mutually exclusive. I think she had a secret affair with a (family) friend who turned stalkery AFTER she broke it off.
Going to court would have been the only way to get him to back off with the *unintended consequence that entire affair is exposed to the world.
*Don’t forget that when this was first reported in the media, the official line was that poor Livia was being stalked by a guy she barely knew except in childhood. The ‘stalker’ responded publicly with receipts that she couldn’t deny and the official story changed to an affair during a brief separation. The ‘affair’ was also reported as a fling implying it was short, meaningless and quickly broken off. ‘Stalker’ responded with dates and confirmation that this ‘fling’ was actually 11months.
Nobody knows if Giuggioli and Brancaccia lived together for 11 monthes or if they just occasionally met over a period of 11 monthes. As Firth and Giuggioli were regularly seen together and as the family is based in Britain it seems to me that the flingy pair didn’t live together.
And sometimes a relationship is more important to one party than to the other party. Brancaccia seems to have hoped for more. Or he had hoped for a nice financial settlement for not telling.
Meryam: the stalker already said that they didn’t live together, but visited each other worldwide. The stalker lives in Brazil where Livia visited him as well as the stalker travelling to her in whichever city she was visiting/ living in.
*Don’t forget that when this was first reported in the media, the official line was that poor Livia was being stalked by a guy she barely knew except in childhood.”
I didn’t know that. The more information I learn, the more embarrassing it becomes! The fudging makes it even more humiliating! This whole story makes everyone look ….dumb?
I’m kind of amazed at how wealthy people cheat. If she flew all over to see him, that’s putting in some serious effort. When I think of cheating, I guess I usually think of two bored people alone in a business or law office late at night. Flying to see someone in order to cheat seems so exhausting!
Really?! I’m also going through a stale period in my marriage. My attention is focused on what to do with a single future, not becoming encumbered with another man.
Yes, but I’m guessing you don’t have millions of dollars in the bank, and the ability/freedom to travel on a whim. I’m not saying rich people are the only ones who cheat, but it sure is easy when money is no (or barely any) object. It sounds like Livia was able to jet off to South America “for work” when she felt like a break from her “stale” marriage!
Exposure does not equal stalking.
Yeah so far there isn’t any evidence of stalking released..Just that the italian man went to her husband and ratted her out. Pretty typical after an affair with a married person ends..the other spouse is told by the jilted affair partner.
She seems to be all about what she wants – she wants to do whatever she wants in her relationships -cheat, lie and walk away when it suites her and forgets there’s another human on the other side you cannot control. She treated both men horribly, lied and deceived. No wonder the italian man went scorched earth.
I don’t feel sympathy for her, she got what she deserved.
Thank you and thank you. This about sums it up; instead of the pretzel arguments trying to provide her with cover.
Yeah I don’t pity her. Maybe she should treat people better and with common human decency and maybe she wouldn’t have so many enemies.
Right. Also, according to her lover, she told him she wants to divorce Colin, and he had no reason to not believe her. She sent him love letters, poems, and a diary… I mean, these are mature people, although I think she really didn’t know what she wanted, or simply wasn’t looking for a future with him. More like missing romance, surprises, adventure, whatever. Probably only when her lover wanted a decision, she cut him off, and we don’t know how she did that, or what she said. The man felt betrayed, so instead of letting it go, he explained himself to Colin, knowing that she would not change her mind, but feeling Firth had to know about this. We also don’t know what story she told her husband, but the fact they both reported him to the police as a stalker suggests she didn’t tell the truth.
this part is confusing because didn’t he say she broke it off because he wanted her to leave Colin? I stand by my statement that he’s nuts.
Let them be. That is a private thing and they seem to be fine by now.
The interesting question is: why do they publish this story now? Why not just bury it quietly? It would be much more comfortable if they didn’t talk about it.
I guess that that Brancaccia guy wouldn’t let them bury everything quietly and privately. Or somebody else. The tabloids perhaps? So Firth and Giuggioli try to limit the damages by going public.
I tend to believe the stalking allegations. And there might even be some kind of financial blackmail involved. Firth is quite wealthy so perhaps Brancaccia wanted some money? I believe this because else I can’t make sense of Brancaccia’s motivation to go public. Giuggioli left him and there is nothing he can do about it. So why did he go public? He is too old and too experienced in tabloid matters to engage in some childish revenge games in public.
No one went public. The story was picked up by the Italian press when the court case finally came up. And because it’s Colin Firth, the English press picked it up and from there a skip and a hop to worldwide mess of a tabloid story with both sides trying to limit the damage to their reputation depending on their POV.
Brancaccia’s reputation is at stake as much as the Firths. He runs a bureau so he isn’t exactly small potatoes even if he isn’t a movie star flush with cash. He could lose his livelihood and then who would hire him? Especially because Colin’s movie star status means this story is easily searchable to future employers.
@Maryam,
Considering the details of the Icelandic court case in question, blackmail for monetary gain is firmly within Brancaccio’s wheelhouse. I don’t think we’ve heard anywhere close to the last of this, sadly enough. This is such a mess.
Details on Brancaccia from celebitchy
http://www.celebitchy.com/569680/marco_brancaccia_details_his_lengthy_passionate_affair_with_colin_firths_wife_livia/
She later told Reykjavik District Court in 2004 that Brancaccia’s behaviour towards her had been violent, something he absolutely denied. The case was widely reported in Icelandic newspapers. Tragically, Didi died in 2013 after suffering an epileptic fit at home in Iceland. But her 79-year-old father, Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson, former chairman of the Icelandic Social Democratic Party, told me that his daughter, who was signed to Elite models at the age of 17 and went on to become a university lecturer, ‘was afraid of Marco’.
I am sure she was aware of it since a simple search brings it up. Who knows what he told her about it. That doesn’t mean anything as far as Livia’s case at this point. Maybe that she has poor taste in men or there is more to it than that.
It is all out there now so I guess we will see.
they both have ugly square face – mine is round, not much better, so don’t bash me for hating it.
“. . . don’t watch that movie because he plays a creepy bastard and he does it well. ” I have said the same thing about Robin Williams (on a SVU episode) and Tim Curry (on a 2 part Criminal Minds episode). They are really creepy and you don’t expect it.
Actors are supposed to play different characters well, it’s their job, so not watching something because actor plays evil or creepy character well there is strange.
Tim Curry?? Wasn’t he Pennywise in the tv version of IT? Shudders….
Omg I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tim curry!!!
I don’t get why some posters are blaming Colin for being cheated on and claiming that maybe it’s because he is ‘abusive”.
That is terrible.
I understand that women should stand together but that doesn’t mean excusing a woman’s horrid behaviour and putting it on a man because he must have been ‘abusive’.
What is the matter with some of you?
I’m disappointed.
It’s strange….I don’t know what it is about this story that has people assuming the worst about Colin, and cutting Livia slack.
Thank you. 60% of married men have cheated and 40% of married women have cheated. Are all their spouses abusers? GMAB
Yeah, why do we suddenly forget that some women are just, you know, capable of bag actions, bad behaviour and its all on them, not on men? Are we trying to say that all women are always unequivocally right and pure and they could never ever do anything horrid?
I think it’s probably more like “men have had social impunity to cheat for centuries, and their male peers have turned a blind eye to it – now that women are being exposed for similar extramarital pursuits, maybe other women should have their backs and give them the benefit of the doubt.”
It’s a mix of internalized misogyny, a latent fear that our own dubious actions would earn us the (often overeager) vitriol of other women, and a general distaste for the kind of bald virtue signalling that accompanies “news” about relationships that some people feel compelled to buck against.
I have no dog in this fight, and I think this is all too personal for me to comment on. I’m just guessing at maybe why the “What if Colin’s a bad guy??” comments are being made. I’ll also say this: some of the women commenting on this board have cheated. Statistically that’s gotta be true, right? You get defensive when you see yourself in someone else.
On the surface, she sort of has the ideal life (i.e a husband who some of the public adores, two kids, good looks, wealth, possibly a good career, great family life, etc.) People are probably wondering why she’d throw it away, or at least have an affair that had the possibility of going public and stripping away the illusion for all of us to see.
I don’t think Colin did anything. I’m just speculating that it’s the idyllic quality of their lives that probably makes people wonder why she’d have an affair and risk utter humiliation in front of the world and HER KIDS.
Not speaking for anyone else, but I do think it’s harder to empathize with someone like her. Imo, her life appears a little too ideal to find something of one’s self in her. Maybe it’s just easier to come up with some other scenario to sympathize with her, er, “plight”? The fact that she could fly all over the world to meet her lover in and of itself makes her life hard to identify with.
Obviously we read of people like Affleck cheating on their spouses, but his life has never appeared perfect. This lady’s life seems so perfect, I have no idea why she’d want to mess with it.
@Lyka
I hadn’t thought of that. I guess statistically you are correct. Every situation seems like it would be unique to me.
@perplexed Good point. I think it is hard for anyone to find a reason why she would do this? She is kind of unknown really.
@Lyka, well, just because some men acted or act bad it’s a silly excuse to try to condone or excuse some women acting bad or pretend that women can’t ever act bad on their own or that they never acted bad in history of human race. Despite different social orders lots of women cheated for centuries just fine btw, it’s not like they started cheating in 21st c. Also the people in question are not giving Livia the benefit of the doubt here, they straight up try to frame Colin and blame it all on him entirely.
@Karen, I mean I clearly stated I was just broadly speculating on a possible mentality – neither excusing nor cosigning it, just offering some POTENTIAL context. And no one’s trying to “frame Colin.” This is an internet message board about celebrity gossip, dude.
@Lyka People might not try to frame Colin Firth but some people on this board try to put the blame on him, aka he might have cheated first, he seems controlling, maybe he was abusive… Yes this is a celebrity gossip board, but we all would up in arms if anyone suggested that a woman would be responsible in any way if her husband cheated on her.
I think some posters can’t handle when some women are exposed as nasty, problematic, etc. and try to remove the blame from such women, by blaming somebody else. In this case they try to blame Colin to whitewash Livia.
Colin is probably being chivalrous but also perhaps saving face. It would be awful and shameful for the world to know you are a cuckold because your wife got bored with you. And what does it say about your wife, your choice of partner, the sacredness of your marriage, the vows you made? It has got to be humiliating.
I imagine Colin is just being protective of everything in his life, about his life. I don’t blame him. It’s gotta be mortifying to be that exposed, through no fault of his own, to be so betrayed. Even then, I can imagine him blaming himself to some extent as well.
Marco sounds very Daniel Cleaverish on steroids.. just saying. I will take Colin Firth any day.. stale period or not. He comes off genuinely warm & sincere when interacting w/ others. It’s so important to not only have an intimate relationship w/ your spouse, but also a strong friendship. If you have the strong friendship/trust when things go stale otherwise thru a period be it due to hectic schedules or health.. you or your partner are still committed & less likely to stray because to do so breaks the whole chain. Not just that one link.
He’s classy AF.
Obviously, we don’t know anything about their marriage. I wonder about couples who appear on the red carpet. The top picture of her gazing adoringly at him is something we see on red carpets w/ other celebrities. But what if in the limo there’s a furious argument because someone purchased a Damien Hirst art piece for an exorbitant amount while the other hates Hirst’s work, wasn’t consulted and too much money is going out that is needed for the kids’ tuition or taxes or whatever. Or it’s an argument over something silly but still it’s an argument and when the limo door swings open they automatically put on their smiles. You can’t look bored, you’re uncomfortable in your heels, he’d rather play a pick up game somewhere and she wants to dive into a book.
I think this lady made a mistake which I don’t necessarily sympathize with, but if the couple wants the other guy to leave them alone I think he could back off. He doesn’t necessarily have to do this for the wife, but he could do this for Colin who didn’t do anything to him.
Well, they went to police and began court case about stalking-and so far there is little proof of any actual stalking taking place.
I don’t know if he’s stalking her, but I don’t think he has to repeat the sordid details to the press. I can understand providing details to the court, but telling the press everything seems…..unseemly? I suppose this a consequence she has to face up to, but if this dude really felt this woman was the love of her life, I don’t think he’d be blabbing to the press. There’s no chance she’ll want him now.
@perplexed, the initial official line in media was that Livia was being stalked by this guy she didn’t even really knew, only when they were children. Only after that this guy openly told some details to the press, which exposed that Livia was lying and they knew each other really, really well. I mean Livia was using him publically as a scapegoat at that point, so I don’t find it exactly strange that the guy set the record straigh and also publically. As for your second part, so far it looks like this guy was really hurt by the way Livia treated him – he said he had no reason to doubt that when Livia said she loved him and she wanted to be with him, she was being honest. But when it came to actions, and he asked her when she would tell Colin, she abruptly ended the relationship. Then Livia started to pretend in media how she was stalked by this “stranger” she barely knew.
May 2016 Livia went solo to the Met Ball – her instagram caption said:
5 years of #metball #GreenCarpetChallenge and Colin is filming in London and won’t be able to be with me tonight. This year we have LOTS of surprises – not only a new challenge for me and a handsome new date but also new #GreenCarpetChallenge gowns wore by ….
(https://www.instagram.com/p/BE6fiaDLKah/)
The ‘handsome new date’ was Tom Ford. But still, if they’re amicably separated and he knows she’s got a new dude but publicly they’re still together: ouch. If she’s cheating on him at that point: much ouch. If they’re very recently back together (not sure when in 2016 the affair is supposed to have ended) it’s pretty cold, whether Colin knew or not.
If they were separated, my theory is he was pining after her and hoping for reconciliation, so agreed to keep it quiet and show up with her (no way single Livia Giuggioli gets invited to the Met Ball on her own. The Green Carpet Challenge is a big part of her business, she needs those events). She realises her fancy man is a nut and runs back to his willing arms. If she’d picked her new guy better they’d probably be divorced now.
Colin is very much a family man and is most likely staying for his sons. I don’t know how he can look at her!
Lying and cheating doesn’t sound like a “good marriage” to me like the source insists, but what do I know? Good luck to Firth and I hope they really did work things out if that’s what he wants.
Stale is one this, an affair is another. Cry me a river honey. And then he’s protecting her??!! Wow she better thank her lucky stars. Boo hoo you’re being stalked. You’ve been kissed by an angel girl. Colin is a class act.
So the move Before I Go To Sleep is not great, but the book is fantastic! Honestly, give it a read.
I feel terrible for Firth, how awful. In regards to the timeline of events, whether or not they were separated during her affair etc., I am partial to the belief that they knowingly had problems, she stepped out bc of those problems, they reconciled and she told him about it the affair, he forgave her, and now he’s having to deal with everyone knowing about it which sucks, for BOTH of them. This sounds like, honestly, a mature couple who hoped to handle a major rough patch in their decades long marriage, and now everyone’s nose is in it. Poor Colin Firth.
The side piece sounds like a dick, too. But he was clearly quite in love with her, love can turn you into a freakin’ lunatic.
I don’t know what he sees in his wife. I don’t care to know. I just respect that he’s handling this as best as he possibly can, and he’s making an effort to protect his wife to an extent. He didn’t need to do that. He could have cut his losses and run after finding out about the affair, and he didn’t. He’s dealing with it rather gracefully, when he really didn’t need to.
This stalker sounds like a piece of work. It’s clear that all he cares about is hurting people. He sent that e-mail to Colin Firth with the intention of wounding him, not to be honest about the affair. He wanted to break up a marriage because Livia wouldn’t leave and he thought he could force their hand. That’s disgusting. Having an affair with a married woman is one thing. Manipulating events in this way just to clear the path to a woman who doesn’t want to be with you any more? That’s awful and nobody deserves that.
Whatever said and done, she didn’t want to leave. She ended things and went back to her husband. Will they last? Don’t know. Is Colin Firth crazy to take her back and stay with her? Probably. Is he a much better man than he should be? Probably. Is Livia a good person for what she did? Most likely not. She’s not out here being an alcoholic and having an affair with the nanny, repeatedly embarrassing her husband and stepping out on him like some other people we could name. But the world is rife with examples of people who love and protect those who have hurt them who don’t deserve it, who love and want to protect the idea of the person they imagine their spouse to be. Women do it. Men do it. It is what it is. I honestly wish him the best.
Also–I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re staying together just to prove this guy wrong. He wants them to break up. He thinks the marriage is what is preventing her from being with him, and he wants to get that out of the way. I guess they think that by breaking up, he wins in some fashion, and then he can go after Livia without anything to hold him back. I can actually understand them staying together if that’s the case.
Whether they were separated or not separated …..does it really matter? They are together now, it’s clear they want to be together / stay together, and out of respect (and dare I say it….appreciation) for a long term couple who has sustained through difficulty, maybe we shouldn’t dissect what happened when dammit, it is neither helpful or useful to the marriage today.
only 2 people really know what happens in a marriage and that’s the 2people in it, and then there’s the respective sides. Truthfully as much as I adore CF there is the reality that he is a loved international movie star and women will be constantly throwing themselves at him. And on the red carpet, she’s an appendage without a face. That cannot be an easy life for the wife either. Having someone appreciate YOU as special is likely a welcome reprieve even if it smoke and mirrors. And then reality knocks and your marriage and your children return as your deepest commitment and priority.
I don’t know what went down and I don’t care to speculate but I wish them well and believe anyone who is trying to harm their marriage now through stalking is scum.
“Truthfully as much as I adore CF there is the reality that he is a loved international movie star and women will be constantly throwing themselves at him. And on the red carpet, she’s an appendage without a face. That cannot be an easy life for the wife either. Having someone appreciate YOU as special is likely a welcome reprieve even if it smoke and mirrors.
I hadn’t considered that. It actually makes sense. I’m not excusing her at all, but this point does provide a context I had totally forgotten about.
“is the reality that he is a loved international movie star and women will be constantly throwing themselves at him. And on the red carpet, she’s an appendage without a face. That cannot be an easy life for the wife either. Having someone appreciate YOU as special is likely a welcome reprieve even if it smoke and mirrors.”
That’s like another really poor excuse for cheating. So you don’t feel special, because your spouse if bigger than you, and you solve it with 11 months affair? If it’s the case it shows how very selfish (and primitive) Livia is if her answer to such possible issue in her marriage is to cheat on her partner.
“and believe anyone who is trying to harm their marriage now through stalking is scum.”
Well, their marriage was harmed by Livia herself in the first place. She created this entire situation through her own actions. As for stalking- they need to prove it was actually stalking first. So far, all known evidence do not exactly support stalking.
I’m not absolving her blame for infidelity, I’m saying it’s not for me to judge……that’s between them…….and we don’t know what their marriage was at the time. I said above I don’t care to speculate, so i say this is as purely a hypothetical: What if he had addiction issues and wasn’t present in the marriage himself and they are keeping very quiet because of the implications of that on casting. We don’t know what really was going down and we never will. So what?
All I know is they are together now and they presumably want to be, so CF knows more than we do about his wife and the value of their marriage to him, I feel selectively tearing apart one partner on the basis of incomplete information because we have googoo eyes for CF is myopic in more ways than one, I wish their marriage well.
Who’s to say he hasn’t done the same thing and that they have forgiven each other and are trying to rebuild their relationship.
“They have a good marriage.”
Yeah, 11 month affair and lying surely make a good marriage.
I just saw the photo of that Brancacia guy….he’ s 55 or something? I would understand if she cheated on Colin Firth with some young hot underwear model…but this old and wrinkled guy….bloody embarrassing!
If Marco asked Livia to leave Colin, then how were Livia and Colin separated?
But then again, I’m taking the word of the stalker, which I shouldn’t. Never trust a guy who won’t respect a woman’s self-determination; he won’t respect any boundaries, including the boundaries of of the truth.