Italy PM Giorgia Meloni announces separation from partner over sexist comments, alleged affair

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made the announcement that she was separating her partner on Friday, following the release of audio in which he made lewd remarks and appeared to admit having an affair

"My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here," Meloni wrote in a message on social media, saying their paths "have diverged for some time".

The announcement comes after Giambruno, a television presenter, was caught making overtly sexual and sexist comments to female colleagues off-air on the sidelines of his talk show "Diario del giorno" (Daily diary) on the Rete 4 commercial station.

"How do you do, darling? Do you know that (name redacted) and I are having an affair? All of (television company) Mediaset knows it, and now you do too," he is heard telling a woman who is also off camera.

"But we're looking for a third person, as we do threesomes. Foursomes too. Would you like to be part of our working group?" he says in comments broadcast by a different television channel on Tuesday and Thursday.

Meloni, 46, is marking one year in power this weekend at the head of a right-wing government that strongly defends traditional family values.

She was forced to defend Giambruno in August after he was accused of victim blaming for comments he made about rape on his talk show.

Discussing two gang rapes over the summer, Giambruno, 42, said "if you avoid getting drunk and losing your senses, you might also avoid running into certain problems and coming across a wolf".

In her post on Friday, Meloni thanked 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, our daughter Ginevra", who is seven years old.