2018 has already seen some very interesting gossip stories, but more than a few of those stories have almost entirely disappeared. Like, where’s the gossip about Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston? Why did that gossip die out so quickly? Well, this is another one: what in the world really happened between Colin Firth, his wife Livia and Livia’s lover Marco Brancaccia? The first time we learned about Livia’s affair was when she and Colin went to the police to accuse Marco of stalking them, and in doing so, the Firths ended up publicly confirming the affair. They made it sound like Colin and Livia were in the midst of a trial separation or something, but I never bought it. I always thought Livia was just full-on cheating on Colin and then he was a gentleman about it and tried to protect her. In any case, Livia chose the wrong side-piece because Marco became completely obsessed with her and he actively tried to destroy her marriage by sending photos and emails to Colin.
We learned all of that in March. The story petered out in a matter of weeks, which I sort of understand: Colin Firth is very respectable and beloved, and even the British tabloids didn’t want to rip him and his wife to shreds. Well now, we are getting some new information: Marco has been officially, criminally charged with stalking the Firths.
Marco Brancaccia has been officially charged with stalking Colin Firth’s wife Livia Firth, British newspaper The Times reported. The Italian journalist had a relationship with Livia while she was briefly separated from Firth between 2015 and 2016. Last year, police opened up an investigation against Brancaccia after Livia filed a police report in Italy accused him of launching “a frightening campaign of harassment” — which he denies.
They found “abusive messages and emails” on Brancaccia’s phone during the investigation, The Times reported. Though lawyers for Brancaccia and Livia appeared at a closed pre-trial hearing in Rome on Tuesday where charges were formally made, The Times reported a lawyers strike rescheduled their meeting until July. There, the judge will decide whether or not to send the case to trial. All hearings are expected to be held in private.
If convicted, Brancaccia could face five years in jail, The Times reported. Said prosecutor Maria Monteleone, “We think we have enough evidence, otherwise we would not have asked for a trial.” A rep for Firth declined to comment.
There’s precious little detail beyond when People Magazine is reporting. Apparently, the Italian prosecutors allege that Marco really “frightened” Livia and she had to “change her lifestyle” due to his campaign of harassment. He apparently emailed her and called for months and months after the affair ended. I mean… I believe Marco has some screws loose and he seems like a pretty toxic individual in general. No one deserves to be stalked and harassed and “punished” for adultery by an unhinged jackass. That being said… my goodness, this whole thing is sordid.
Here are some photos of Colin and Livia on May 4th at a documentary screening in New York:
Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.
Yep, total lunatic. I hope they throw the book at him and that Colin and Livia move on.
This story hits too close to home. I had a similar scenario with a man I worked with – We didn’t even have an affair though – I was just nice to him because he was very socially awkward and had no friends and he built up a weird obsession with me. It was frightening the emails, texts and phone calls and things he fantasized and wrote about me, but the police did nothing.
My boyfriend (now husband) got a large promotion and we relocated to a different city so I got away from him, but stalking is no joke, it’s been almost 10 years and I still get scared I may randomly bump into him somewhere.
I’m so sorry you went through that! And co-sign this. I had an ex who stalked me for a year and a half after I broke up with him. Calls, texts, waiting for me in places he knew I’d be. It didn’t stop until I moved away, but the fear that he’ll be lurking around every corner is still there.
I know that nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors but…why on earth would someone cheat on Colin Firth?!?!
Which is not to suggest, in any way, that this situation was her fault or that she deserved it. It wasn’t and she doesn’t. Nobody deserves this. She must have been terrified. I hope the man rots in jail.
Grass is greener and all that. You’d be surprised how quickly something that seems so desirable from the outside becomes mundane when you have it, and how even the most perfect people have grating, incorrigible flaws.
The answer to ‘why would someone cheat on this person I consider perfect’ is “because people.” I can’t ever condone cheating, both of my parents cheated on each other and I saw it all as a kid. But boy, I can understand why people do it.
I know, right?
You dont personally know any of these people, maybe Forth has been cheating on her constantly?
@Ann was this for me? I totally get that. That’s why I said nobody knows what’s going on behind closed doors.
Yikes that’s awful. Poor Colin though. I also believe she full on cheated on him and now he has to deal with this fallout and the fact that’s it’s public. He must love her to stick by her through this.
Yeah, talk about a double whammy. What a nightmare.
It really is messy.I also tend to believe she went out of her marriage. If Colin forgave her and they’re working on their marriage, then that needs to be supported. It’s their marriage and they know what is right for them.
This Marco dude should be charged. It sounds like the they have been in a living hell.
This is still so awful. Obviously the decision to remain a couple is between them, but I cannot help but think of how poorly her sons must think of her right now. For getting involved with and bringing this man into contact with their family. They’re in their mid to late teens and….ugh I just cannot imagine.
Glad to see the stalker charged. He’s inexcusable and disgusting.
If I were Colin, I would have a very hard time forgiving someone who cheated on me, especially with an a**hole that turned my life into a public scandal and made my sons question their mother’s loyalty. I know a boy in this situation and it absolutely did a number on him – his parents’ marriage was a sham? His mother stepped out? Would she leave him, too? Was anything what it appeared to be? Colin has always spoken of his wife adoringly and he must have been destroyed by her behavior. Good luck to them- he certainly is an extraordinary man.
Maybe they really were separated? I hope so for Colin’s sake!
Poor Colin either way…
I have seen this sort of things so many times: grown people with no prior incidents of irrational behavior go completely bananas because “love”. Truly the concept of love being a type of sickness seems to be true for some people, whilst some of us experience love inside our customary framework of logic and thought. I wonder if this Marco guy has a history of being a whack job? I am impressed by the Firths handling of this and curious to see how the legal system in Italy handles this case.
His ex fled with their kid to Iceland saying he was violent and she was afraid of him
Yikes!
Whether she had an affair behind her husband’s back or if they really were separated, no one deserves to be stalked and harassed. Her stalker’s scary behavior probably brought her and Colin closer, if anything.
He wasn’t physically stalking her, thank God. It sounds like he was stalking her via emails, etc., threatening to release damaging information about the affair and about her marriage, which I’m sure she confided in him. Going to the police stopped the continual harassment and gets out in front of him releasing info about them and putting out their own narrative, that of a couple who were separated at the time. Not that I buy it, but I get Colin wanting to protect her as the mother of his children and it appears forgiving her for the affair.
I think you’re right. He’s made some pretty easily disprovable claims that he was in Brazil (I think?) for much of this. I’m legit happy to know that in at least some parts of the world, cyberstalking and constant calling, even if there’s no physically threatening component, is taken seriously as harassment.
He has previous for stalking, he stalked and threatened his ex wife when she left him. I think Livia cheated but hey it’s their relationship and they clearly want to make things work.
I always got a pissed-off vibe from Livia. And of course having an affair is often payback. What a mess. Can a marriage survive it?
Is there any information about this case from Italian media? This story is coming from People Mag via The Times (British) and I’m just curious if there is a bit of British bias in the reporting?
With her cheating on Colin she kinda ruined his Mr. Darcy brand.
I was stalked once by a WOMAN and it wasn’t even a sexual thing for her. She became obsessed with me because I started dating en ex of hers. It went on beyond my relationship with the guy. I now joke that she was more persistent than him and the longer relationship of the two but it was not fun when it was happening. I tried everything: ignoring mostly, answering her emails in a logic way nothing worked. She even recruited her friends and family convincing them she had been wronged and sent them in a smear campaign. She reached out to my family, my father mostly printing an email I had answered (which I regretted and gave me a lesson to never leave electronic trails in the future lol) and I was so embarrassed.
What worked for me was that I didn’t care for the guy anymore (she stalked him too but he was a spineless guy who did nothing) and that finally when everyone around me knew everything about my life she lost her power over me and I started my “sailor mode” answering her texts and calls. I can be pretty hard to listen to and I think that took her by surprise especially hearing my voice on the phone for the first time. I think when you take them the power that’s when they loose the game but still I don’t wish that on anyone and surely I don’t want to try it again to prove my theory.