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Gina Lollobrigida’s assistant ‘tricked his way into her will’

Milko Skofic Jr beside a photo of his late mother - Angelo Carconi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Milko Skofic Jr beside a photo of his late mother - Angelo Carconi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Gina Lollobrigida, the icon of 1960s cinema who died earlier this month, was cut off from her family by her assistant and lived in misery for the last 10 years of her life, her only son has claimed.

Lollobrigida, who starred in dozens of films across a decades-long career, died on January 16 at the age of 95.

But when details of her will were made public earlier this week, it emerged that she had divided her fortune – estimated at around €4 million (£3.51 million) – between Milko Skofic Jr, her 66-year-old son, and Andrea Piazzolla, her 35-year-old former assistant.

Gina Lollobrigida walks arm in arm with Mr Piazzolla - Ferrajuolo/SGP/Shutterstock
Gina Lollobrigida walks arm in arm with Mr Piazzolla - Ferrajuolo/SGP/Shutterstock

Speaking to Italian daily la Repubblica on Thursday, Mr Skofic accused Mr Piazzolla of ruining the last years of his mother’s life by isolating her from “everything she held dear”.

Mr Skofic said Mr Piazzolla had effectively erected a barrier around the film icon, shutting her off from him and many of her oldest friends.

“For three years, I wasn’t even able to get into her house,” he said. “Her friends kept ringing me to ask why no one answered their phone calls … Nearly all of her closest friends were kept away from her … Everything was in his hands.”

Eventually, Mr Skofic told the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s finance and police force, that he feared his mother was being exploited by Mr Piazzolla who, since 2010, had been her “factotum” and close assistant.

In July 2020, state prosecutors charged Mr Piazzolla with having taken advantage of the ageing star, stealing an estimated €3 million (£2.63 million) in goods and money from her patrimony.

The prosecutors argued that Mr Piazzolla also tricked her into selling 350 of her artworks, sculptures and furniture.

In particular, they alleged that he conned her into signing three contracts agreeing to sell the items, “abusing her state of vulnerability”.

Mr Piazzolla has always denied these charges.

Gina and Milko Jr when young - Popperfoto via Getty Images
Gina and Milko Jr when young - Popperfoto via Getty Images

In a recent TV interview, he claimed he had not shut out Mr Skofic, saying Ms Lollobrigida did not want to see her son.

Mr Skofic on Friday conceded that it was not easy growing up as the son of Lollabrigida, who before her death was among the last surviving actors from Hollywood’s vaunted Golden Age.

“I grew up wearing a shield of armour to protect my feelings … from the paparazzi and the journalists,” he said. “It was as if they wanted to steal something that was profoundly mine.”