A fraudulent marriage, a life-long feud and several affairs of the heart... This is the life of Italian screen siren Gina Lollobrigida

The world was in mourning when one of the last remaining stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age passed away on January 16, aged 95. Once dubbed as “the most beautiful woman in the world”, a lady who made Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple, the Italian screen siren was known for driving men crazy. The actor, sculptor, sex symbol and singer led an incredible life that was also entrenched in scandal. This is the life and times of Gina Lollobrigida…

Before becoming Gina Lollobrigida, Luigia Lollobrigida attended Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts where she studied drawing and sculpting. After being spotted by a talent scout outside she made her way to Cinecittà Studios. Gina had no interest to pursue acting and even refused to audition which ironically made her a star because she didn’t care. She recalled: “I refused when they offered me my first role. They insisted again. They asked my mother to convince me and said they would pay me one thousand lire. So I told them my price was one million lire, thinking that would put a stop to the whole thing. But they said yes! "I was successful very early, I never had to ask for what I wanted. I just had to say yes, because they always offered me so much more.”

Italy’s other screen superstar Sophia Loren was depicted as Gina’s rival for many years. Gina accused Sophia of fabricating the feud and keeping it alive for publicity. She said: “I was not looking for any rivalry against anyone: I was the No. 1. My God! “She and her press agents started this ‘rivalry’ with me—and she hasn’t stopped for 50 years. It was really boring for me. I had enough of that. Even when she changed press agents—which I’ve never used—she continued it. “We are different. We made completely different careers. I wanted to be an artist more than anything else. I wanted a career on a high level.” Following the news of her death, Sophia issued a statement which read: "Yesterday I was too heartbroken and I couldn’t find the words. Dear Gina, your body is extinguished but the light of your star will shine over us and in our hearts forever. I love you Gina! Sophia."

She was once dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world who “made Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple”. The hypnotic beauty was known for driving men crazy as ‘Scar Face’ producer Howard Hughes and Prince Rainier of Monaco were captivated by Lollobrigida who pursued her for many years. Despite his marriage to Grace Kelly, the Prince of Monaco was not very subtle and would often make passes in front of his wife. She said: “He would make passes at me in front of her, in their home. Obviously, I said, ‘No!’ “‘My God, at least do it carefully - not in front of her’. He was burned up at me for 20 years for refusing him. But, after she died, he forgot about that, and we became friendly again.”

Business mogul Howard Hughes developed an unhealthy obsession with Gina after seeing a picture of the 23-year old beauty during the 1950s. Gina, who was married at the time to her husband Miko Skofic at the time, was invited by Howard to join him in Hollywood. Gina accepted on the condition that she’d be accompanied by her husband. However, Howard’s infatuation was more a coercion than a seduction as just before her departure from Rome only one of the two promised tickets arrived meaning Gina went alone. Upon her arrival to LA she was forced into a suite at the Town House Hotel where she was practically a prisoner as she was only allowed to leave if she was accompanied by Howard. Howard threatened to derail her career unless she divorced her husband and tricked her to sign a contract which forbid her from working in Hollywood unless it was under Howard. She said: "Hughes asked me to divorce Milko and marry him. Then I would have a fast, brilliant career. Millions, furs, jewels, everything I could desire. "I was married, and for me the marriage was one for life. "I couldn't return to Hollywood without Howard Hughes filing a lawsuit. He said I was his property.”

Despite her undying love and devotion to Miko, her marriage was not a bed of roses as she divorced her husband in 1971 claiming that he only “played tennis and counted the money. He did not do anything else. “People thought we had a very happy marriage, but I didn’t want to say the truth. The house is big, and we didn’t want people to know, so he lived here for the last years of the marriage, but we weren’t really together. When divorce was legalized in Italy, I was one of the first to get it.” Gina later admitted that she regretted not giving into Howard’s advances. She said: "He was too rich. There was too much of a difference between me at that time and him. I couldn't concede to have a man near me where I had zero and he had too much."

In 1984, 57-year-old Gina met 23-year-old Spaniard Javier Rigau y Rafols. The officially went public years later in 2006. He said at the time: “Gina is my life. I have been in love with her divinely during all these years." Gina, who always had a weakness for young men, said of her toy boy: “In the beginning what there was between me and Javier was only passion, not love. That came later. “I have always had a weakness for young men.” However, the honeymoon phase of the relationship was over before it had begun as Gina called off the wedding due to media scrutiny only for it to be revealed that Gina was in fact married to Javier by proxy, which Gina dismissed as “vulgar fraud”. He said: "If I have to take action against my wife, I will. "I cannot remain silent because my only asset is my name and it’s being dragged through the mud... We’re married now even if she doesn’t want to be. “It breaks my heart to hear her speaking about me the way she is.”

In 2019, the ‘Trapeze’ star was defrauded out of millions of euros as well as three houses by her ex chauffeur Andrea Piazzolla. Piazolla was accused of setting up bank accounts in his parent’s name to transfer thousands of Euros of Lollobrigida’s fortune which he used to buy luxury properties and cars including a Ferrari for €310,000 and a Ford Shelby GT for nearly €100,00.

A year later, the Hollywood legend went to war with her estranged son Miko Skofic, after she hired a mafia-busting lawyer to fight her son for control of her fortune. She said: "I don’t deserve this. I haven’t done anything wrong, yet [my family] are furious against me and won’t leave me alone. At my age I should have some peace.”

In 2017, the Hollywood icon revealed that she was sexually assaulted as a young actress and opened up about being molested for the first time at 19 years old. After years of silence, Gina opened up about her own experiences in wake of the allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. She said: “I've also suffered molestation, in fact more than that, and I didn't say anything about it at the time. “I should have complained but I didn't have the courage. “The first time I was 19, I was still going to school. The second time, well I'd rather not talk about it. I was married and I was starting out in films.”

On 16 January 2023, it was announced that Gina had died aged 95 in Rome, Italy. Tributes for the Hollywood star poured in from fellow actors such as Antonio Banderas who described her as a “great legend of Italian cinema”.