Roma legend Francesco Totti has claimed that his marriage to Ilary Blasi broke down because she did not support him following his retirement from football and when his father passed away due to Covid-19.
Totti married former showgirl and TV presenter Blasi in 2005, and the pair have three children together. However, they announced that they had separated in July, and Totti has now revealed the reasons behind the split.
The 45-year-old retired from football in 2017 and has admitted he struggled to cope without being out on the pitch, before losing his father to Covid in October 2020. During those challenging times, he feels that his wife was not there to comfort him.
“I have lived through a difficult period, first because I stopped playing and then my father died due to Covid,” Totti told Corriere della Sera, as quoted by Marca.
“I also had a strong Covid (illness) for 15 days. However, my wife, when I needed her most, was not there.”
Following their break-up, there has been some speculation that Totti may have cheated on Blasi as he now has a new partner, Noemi Bocchi.
However, Totti has looked to set the records straight, stating that he found out last year that his wife had been cheating on him.
“It is not true that I was the first to betray. I said I was not going to speak and I did not, but I have read too many hoaxes in recent weeks. Some have even made my children suffer,” he continued.
“In September of last year the rumors began to reach me: look, Ilary has another one. Indeed, more than one.”
“I had never done it in 20 years, nor had she ever done it with me. But when I received warnings from different people, whom I trust, I began to suspect.Â
“I looked at her cell phone and I saw that there was a third person, who acted as an intermediary between Ilary and another.”
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Totti has acknowledged that finding out about his wife’s infidelity badly affected his mental health, and he has credited Bocchi for helping him get through this difficult period in his life.
“Here was the evidence (of the affair). The facts. And that led me to depression. I could no longer pretend that nothing was happening, but it wasn’t me anymore, it was someone else. I got out thanks to Noemi,” he added.
Totti and Blasi now look likely to settle their issues in court, but Totti hopes it will not get to that point.
‘I fear that with Ilary it will end up in court. I still hope that we can reach an agreement.
‘Now I am silent. This afternoon, it cost me six months of life. I would have preferred a thousand times to talk about football and Roma, which I always carry in my heart,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Blasi is refusing to reveal too much at this stage, with her lawyer Alessandro Simeone stating on her behalf: ‘I have always protected my children and I will continue to protect them.’
However, according to Corriere della Sera, Blasi is alleged to have told friends: ‘I discovered things that could ruin about fifty families,’ indicating that she has her own side of the story to tell when she feels the time is right.
That time could come in court, and the Corriere della Sera report claims that Totti and Blasi’s relationship has deteriorated even further since they separated two months ago.
They speculate that a court date could be explosive, with the couple potentially resorting to ‘low blows’ and revealing fresh information about one another.