‘House of Gucci’ inspiration Patrizia Reggiani says she still has 'enormous love' for Maurizio after murder
'House of Gucci' stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and Al Pacino
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Patrizia Reggiani is standing by her story.
The former wife of one-time luxury fashion house heir Maurizio Gucci is the subject of Ridley Scott’s new movie "House of Gucci" which stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and Al Pacino.
The film is based on a book about the 1995 murder-for-hire of Gucci, 46, and the subsequent trial and conviction of his ex-wife. Reggiani, portrayed by Gaga, served 16 years in prison for contracting the murder.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m not innocent, but I’m not guilty," the 72-year-old said in a new episode of "People Magazine Investigates: Killing Gucci." The documentary is currently available for streaming on discovery+.
Patrizia Reggiani (C), ex-wife of slain fashion mogul Maurizio Gucci, is escorted by police women as she leaves a Milan court. Reggiani, 50, is accused of ordering the murder of Gucci, who was gunned down and died in a pool of blood on the steps of his Milan office. (Getty Images)
On Monday, the outlet reported that the special features one of the last known American interviews with the former Signora Gucci, who alleged that her marriage "was broken by the bad influences of the people around him, in the company."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the true-crime show, Reggiani recalled how she first learned of her husband’s death.
"I heard my telephone ring, and my nanny told me that Maurizio was shot," she said. "First, I couldn’t believe it and then I thought, ‘My problems are gone’ and then just [felt] sorrow."
Reggiani admitted that her hatred towards Gucci intensified after their marriage crumbled.
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Maurizio Gucci (Photo by Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
"In court, I [admitted Maurizio and I] hated each other," she said. "I made a lot of threats, but I didn’t give the order to kill him. The others [convicted co-conspirators] blackmailed me. What they said about me was not true."
According to the outlet, Gucci and Reggiani married in 1973. But in 1985, the businessman left his wife for a younger woman after 12 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in 1994. In 1995, he was shot and killed by a hitman Reggiani allegedly hired outside of his office in Milan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two years after Maurizio’s murder, Reggiani was arrested for her involvement in orchestrating the crime. After a five-month trial, Reggiani, who was dubbed the "Black Widow" by the Italian press, was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 29 years in prison. She was released in 2016 after serving 18 years due to good behavior.
Reggiani insisted that she still feels "enormous love" for her ex-husband.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lady Gaga and Adam Driver filming ‘House of Gucci’. (Photo by Photopix/GC Images)
"The thing I miss most with Maurizio is the peaceful environment [before the hatred]," she said. "The time I was most happy was when we were traveling."
"If I met Maurizio now I would tell him to forgive me for what happened," she shared. "All the things that happened were a big misunderstanding."
In March, Reggiani told Ansa, the Italian national news agency, that she was "annoyed" that Gaga, 35, was portraying her in the film "without even having the courtesy of the good sense to come and meet me."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s nothing to do with money because I won’t be taking a single cent from the film," she said. "It’s about common sense and respect. I believe that any good actor should first get to know the person that they are meant to be playing. I think it is not right that I wasn’t contacted. And I say this with all the sympathy and appreciation that I have for her."
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Writer/artist/interior decorator/ fashion designer and Gucci heiress Patrizia Gucci, daughter of Paolo Gucci and great granddaughter of House of Gucci founder Guccio Gucci. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)
In April, it was reported that one of Gucci' second cousins, Patrizia Gucci, was worried that the film pries into the private lives of the Gucci heirs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family," Gucci told The Associated Press. "They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system... Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. But there is a borderline that cannot be crossed."
The Guccis are not the first Italian fashion family to wrestle with onscreen depictions about tragic events. The Versace family put out a statement in 2018 about the season of Ryan Murphy’s "American Crime Story" that dealt with the murder of fashion house founder Gianni Versace, saying the TV series was not authorized and should be considered "a work of fiction."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.