A former model has revealed she is having an affair with Italy’s interior minister, causing a new crisis for Giorgia Meloni just a week after she lost a major referendum.
Claudia Conte claimed in a radio interview that she was having an affair with Matteo Piantedosi, a 62-year-old minister who is married with two grown-up children.
It has emerged that Conte, 34, now a journalist, was given an unpaid position on a parliamentary commission of inquiry that centres around policing and security issues in the urban fringes of Italy’s cities.
The Italian prime minister is under growing pressure as she deals with the fallout from the referendum result and allegations that one of her ministers, who resigned last week, had links to the mafia.
Conte, who has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, was asked by a podcaster about rumours that she was in a romantic relationship with the minister.
She replied: “It’s something that I cannot deny.”
Giorgia Meloni is under increasing political pressure after revelations emerged that Matteo Piantedosi was having an extra-marital affair – Mondadori Portfolio/Getty
Mr Piantedosi has not commented publicly on the claim, nor has Ms Meloni.
Conte has held various public roles and consultancies, including artistic director of an Italian film festival, while her Instagram account shows her mixing with ministers, politicians, and Pope Leo.
A spokesman for the interior minister said there would be no comment on Conte’s claim that she was having an affair with him and said that the minister was at work as usual on Thursday.
The minister had never granted “favours or jobs or appointments” to anyone, the spokesman added.
Giovanni Donzelli, a senior figure within the Brothers of Italy who is close to the prime minister, said: “It seems to me that Piantedosi has nothing to hide and in any case he is doing very well as a minister.
“Everyone is entitled to a private life and to do what they want. Right now, there are more serious problems to deal with.”
Opposition parties are demanding that the minister respond to the accusations.
Claudia Conte’s social media profiles have highlighted her meetings with various high profile figures in Italy, including Pope Leo – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Elly Schlein, who leads the Democratic Party, said Ms Meloni’s coalition had been hit by “the umpteenth scandal” and demanded that the minister shed light on any roles that Conte may have received under the patronage of Mr Piantedosi.
Luana Zanella, an MP from the Green-Left Alliance, said: “The revelations are very opaque. The minister must explain.”
However, senior figures in the government pledged support to the minister, saying that if he was having an affair, it was his private business.
Sara Kelany, an MP from the ruling Brothers of Italy party, said: “Piantedosi is one of this government’s best ministers, he’s exceptional.
“Apart from the fact that this is a private matter, I don’t see any problems – that is what has emerged from the information that is publicly available at least.”
Ms Meloni has already lost Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister, because of an affair. The 63-year-old was forced to resign in September 2024 after it was revealed that he had been in a secret romantic relationship with a young influencer named Maria Rosaria Boccia.
He made a tearful confession on primetime television, apologising to the prime minister for causing her embarrassment, and to his wife for his betrayal.
Mr Sangiuliano was the first minister to resign from Ms Meloni’s Right-wing government since she came to power in 2022.
Gennaro Sangiuliano confessed to having a romantic liaison with Maria Rosaria Boccia on primetime TV
Last week, the prime minister lost a referendum on a plan to overhaul the judicial system, puncturing her aura of invincibility just as she gears up for a general election that is likely to be held next year.
It was followed by the loss of three senior government figures, including Andrea Delmastro, the deputy justice minister, who was revealed to have held shares in a restaurant allegedly linked to the mafia.
Another loss was Daniela Santanchè, the tourism minister, who is involved in legal proceedings over allegations of fraud and false accounting relating to her business activities.
In the wake of the scandals, Ms Meloni is attempting a reset and will address parliament next week to announce her government’s policies for the coming months.
She also wants to forge ahead with a reform of Italy’s electoral system, which would offer a guaranteed majority ⁠for any coalition winning more than 40 per cent of the vote.
The government said the reform would ensure greater stability and prevent the kind of fragile coalitions and hung parliaments which have dogged Italy in the past.
Critics say the reform will unfairly benefit Ms Meloni’s coalition and enable it to cling to power at the next election.