Meet Giannina Facio, Ridley Scott’s wife and House of Gucci co-producer: she found fame in Italy and once dated Julio Iglesias – but did she really cause Princess Caroline of Monaco’s divorce?

Amjad Ali August 14, 2024

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Calling Gladiator II highly anticipated would be quite an understatement: there’s the popularity of director Ridley Scott’s original, of course, but given the sequel’s star-studded cast – “internet boyfriends” Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn – fans’ expectations are sky high.

Interestingly, the Costa Rican actress who played Maximus’ wife in Gladiator, Giannina Facio, ended up marrying Scott 15 years later. But they actually started dating even before Gladiator, and Facio has since appeared in many of her husband’s works. She also co-produced Scott’s House of Gucci, Tristan & Isolde and Matchstick Men.

Giannina Facio has appeared in many of hubby Ridley Scott’s films. The couple are pictured here in 2001. Photo: AP Photo

But what else do we know about Lady Scott, the creative developer and producer who is 18 years younger than her husband?

What is Giannina Facio’s background?

Giannina Facio is 18 years younger than her husband Ridley Scott. Here, they attend the screening of Blade Runner: Final Cut during the Venice International Film Festival, in 2007. Photo: AP Photo

Giannina Facio Franco was born on September 10, 1955, in San José to Costa Rica’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the late wealthy diplomat and lawyer, Gonzalo Facio, and his second wife, Ana Franco Calzia. She has two sisters, Ana Catalina and Carla Facio; and three half-siblings from her father’s former marriage, Sandra, Alda and Rómulo Facio. Among her siblings, Alda is a prominent feminist writer and human rights activist.

She was a star in Italy during the 1980s

Giannina Facio was a household name in Italy during the 1980s. Photo: IMDB

Facio got her start in the entertainment industry in Italy during the 1980s. She quickly rose to fame with works like Antonello Grimaldi’s Il Cielo è Sempre Più Blu, known in English as Bits and Pieces, Anna Carlucci’s Torta di Mele and Nessuno mi Crede, and Enrico Oldoini’s Vacanze di Natale ‘90. She became a household name in Italy with the Italia 1 comedy TV show Emilio.

Despite her successful acting career in Italy though, Facio told Vulture that she “absolutely hated” it and “never liked being on that side of the camera”.

Who else has Giannina Facio dated?

Before Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio was linked to other celebrities. Here, the couple step out together again at the Venice International Film Festival in 2021. Photo: Getty Images

In 1980, Facio was linked to Philippe Junot, who was married to Princess Caroline of Monaco. She was spotted with him on a yacht in the Mediterranean, where he had presented her as his “secretary”. The press speculated that Facio was one of the reasons for the royal couple’s eventual divorce.

Facio also reportedly dated legendary Spanish singer-songwriter Julio Iglesias. Spanish media reports that, while she was in a relationship with him, she was allegedly also linked to another famous Spanish singer, Miguel Bosé, who revealed in his book Historia Secreta de mis Mejores Canciones that two of his songs, “Nena” and “Si tú no Vuelves”, were dedicated to her as the woman he “loved the most” and who was “the best in bed”.

She was reportedly arrested once

Giannina Facio, pictured in January 2018, was once detained for carrying excess currency. Photo: Getty Images

Facio made headlines in 1984 when she was detained by Civil Guard officers at the Barcelona-El Prat Airport for trying to leave Spain carrying 343,000 pesetas (the currency of Spain at the time, later replaced by the euro, and worth about US$2,250) with her in a briefcase. The maximum amount allowed to be taken outside the country at the time was 50,000 pesetas. Not much was revealed about what happened afterwards, or about why Facio was carrying the money.

Giannina Facio co-produced House of Gucci

Al Pacino, Lady Gaga, Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio at the House of Gucci’s New York premiere in November 2021. Photo: Getty Images

House of Gucci was Facio’s passion project that spanned 24 years. She told Vulture that her husband almost didn’t take it on and dropped out three times, either because the script wasn’t right or the cast wasn’t right.

In response to criticism from the Gucci family, Facio claimed, “I don’t think they’re that dismayed. There’s just one or two [family members] that keep coming up because they wanted to be part of our movie as consultants.”

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