Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti given 'greatest honor of her life'

Italian model Vittoria Ceretti on Saturday took to Instagram to share her feelings after having the "privilege of carrying the Italian flag at the Olympic Games." 

She was referring to the the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, held on Friday night at Milan's San Siro stadium.

Ceretti, the girlfriend of Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, said "I just want to say that this was the greatest honor of my life. I still can’t believe I had the privilege of carrying the Italian flag at the Olympic Games.

"Before I got there, I don’t think I fully understood the responsibility I was taking on: within that flag live our history, our values, and the beauty of the most incredible country in the world," she continued.

Vittoria Ceretti, "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be doing what I love most in front of 80,000 people. Thank you for trusting me. I hope I made you proud, Italy."

The opening ceremony  set a record with more than 61,000 tickets sold, the head of the local organisers said on Saturday.

Another 10,000 spectators watched the ceremony in other locations in a Games where events are being staged across a large area of northern Italy.

Artists who performed on Friday, including US pop star Mariah Carey, who opened the show in a ceremony blending elements of both host regions, city and mountain, did not receive any compensation.