Italian PM Giorgia Meloni leaves journalist partner after his off-air threesome comments

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, has announced she is leaving her journalist partner Andrea Giambruno, after a satirical television show broadcast him making lewd remarks.

Ms Meloni and Mr Giambruno had been together for 10 years and have a daughter together, seven-year-old Ginevra.

Posting a picture of the three of them on her social media channels on Friday, Ms Meloni, 46, said: “My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost 10 years, ends here.

“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.”

Mr Giambruno, 42, is the presenter of a news programme transmitted by Mediaset, part of the MFE media group owned by the heirs of the late Silvio Berlusconi, a former prime minister and Meloni ally.

This week, another Mediaset show broadcast backstage clips and audio from Mr Giambruno’s programme showing him using foul language, touching his groin and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.

Mr Giambruno is heard asking whether he can “touch his package” while speaking, asking someone whether they are single and inviting a woman to take part in a threesome, Politico reported.

He had been criticised in August for comments interpreted by many as victim-blaming, following a gang rape case.

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“If you go dancing, you have every right to get drunk – there shouldn’t be any kind of misunderstanding and any kind of problem – but if you avoid getting drunk and losing your senses, you might also avoid running into certain problems and coming across a wolf,” he said in his programme.

Mr Giambruno said these comments had been taken out of context to create a “surreal” controversy.

He has not yet publicly commented on the recent broadcast of his sexist remarks, or on the split announced on Friday.

Ms Meloni said last month that she should not be judged over Mr Giambruno’s comments and in future would not answer questions about his behaviour.

She said in her social media post: “Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it.

“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. PS. all those who hoped to weaken me by hitting me at home should know that however much the drop may hope to dig out the stone, the stone remains stone and the drop is only water.”

This week marks the first anniversary of Ms Meloni’s government, Italy’s first headed by a woman and first hard-right-led administration since the end of the Second World War.