“How beautiful it is here, how big it is here, we like it too much but… it’s not Rai…”. “I was very shy, I hid behind the leaves of the fake palm trees around the pool, hoping not to be framed”.
The only one, the others elbowed all right. And then in 1991 she was already 19 years old, almost old, for Gianni Boncompagni.
«He told me I looked 15, skinny, not too shapely. After a week spent blending in behind the scenography, Gianni and Irene Ghergo took me aside. “Lauretta, darling, you can’t go on like this.” I just needed to be unblocked. Finally he thought about it Enrico Bonaccortibringing out a certain resemblance to Kim Basinger. So one day they forced me in front of the Cruciverbone – the most coveted place by all girls – to improvise a fake and chaste striptease with the music of Nwhere weeks and a halfI was ashamed to death, I would have preferred to sing, but no, they dubbed us by force», says Laura Freddi (regular guest of Today is another dayRaiuno), who was a blonde icon of those celebrated nineties and icons remain eternally the same, lucky them: “They still approach me on the street to recall those days, as if time had stopped” ».
They called you Lolite, you girls from “Non è la Rai”.
«Gianni has always behaved more than well with me, yet they pelted him with criticism, there was too much fury, exaggeration against him. And then we were little made up, innocent, disciplined. “Do not be fooled, this fame may not last”, they repeated to us».
That was not his real debut on TV.
«I had made my debut two years earlier, on a local Naples broadcaster, Canale 34, I did telephone surveys and I wore a tremendous mushroom-shaped forelock, but I destroyed the evidence, heh heh. Before I did I don’t know how many beauty contests, I didn’t like them, but I won them all, I was the queen of Ostia and Fiumicino, improbable talent scouts even left me business cards at the bus stop, but dad tore them up».
Then she became the blonde Velina of “Striscia la Notizia”, paired with the brunette Miriana Trevisan.
“The first Veline talking and microphoned, without skates and not too loud. With Greggio and Iacchetti I laughed a lot, as a couple they don’t fight. Enzino is still a very dear friend of mine today, I love him very much. Antonio Ricci, on the other hand, was never seen, as a joke I called him “the ghost”. Every now and then I asked: “But how is it done? Really exists?”. But a genius. And yes, I don’t know how many times I fell off the counter during the deadlifts. But never like at the Festivalbar when, going down the stairs singing, I ended up hitting the audience, the film still runs on the web».
Velina and footballer, she too fell for it, albeit with a delayed burst.
“After two years, yes. I was doing the Quizzone with Amadeus and I lived with Cristina Quaranta (laughs), think of the courage I had, and I say this because she is a friend of mine, mind you. She knew a lot of people, every now and then she introduced me to someone. One evening he invited Fabio Galante, I didn’t want to hear about it. “Please don’t call him again.” Forget it. One evening he practically tied himself to the radiator in the house, he didn’t want to leave and at that point… I gave in».
Three years together.
«He was young and handsome, he played for Inter, I was very jealous, not anymore. With Fabio let’s say there was a need, I caught some important signals, I tried to forgive, but Milan was full of life, of distractions. Those few times I went to see him in the stands, if by chance he missed a shot, the whole stadium turned towards me, as if it was my fault. Maybe they thought I was making them live the good life, in reality we were very homely».
At the «Quizzone» with Gerry Scotti.
‘It didn’t seem real to me. One day I repeated the ballet of Nine and a half weeks, behind a roller blind. During a movement with my leg, the stockings got caught in a screw and so, going down the stairs, I dragged the booth along with me as well. The director yelled: “Stoop!”, Gerry on the other hand was enthusiastic, he wanted to broadcast it like this ».
Same program, with Amadeus.
«Together in 1995 we also conducted the competition The Look of the Year in Korea. I hate flying, I’m scared, so I had taken tranquilizers, I didn’t sleep a wink on the flight, on the other hand I was stunned for three days. And I still remember the strong smell of garlic that wafted everywhere, especially in the elevators. Did I call him to get invited to Sanremo, since we’re friends? It’s not like me. Sure, who wouldn’t like to be on that stage for five minutes, too?»
With Claudio Bisio and the “Zelig Tour” band.
‘A delirium, we traveled by minibus from north to south, at the lay-bys we all started dancing, we never slept. But working with him is simple, he makes you good and likeable. Before entering the scene, to give me courage, he offered me a drop of grappa».
When Maurizio Costanzo called her to propose “Happy Sunday”…
‘I was about to hang up on his face because I thought it was a joke, plus I had a fever and a beginning of renal colic. “Excuse me, I’m going to the emergency room, can you call me back in a few days?”. And so he did, fortunately. A wonderful time, I’d do it again tomorrow, I miss the TV back then».
Do you know that you have to ask the question, maybe two or three, about Paolo Bonolis, yes?
‘I know, I know. What should I tell her? Paolo was the most important person in my affections, I was very young then and he was already married and a father. In the eyes of my 19 years old he was fascinating, I liked him, he entertained me, he struck me with his irony and culture. He even made me watch three films a day, he read me books, it was a flood. We traveled a lot. Although with Sonia, his wife – by now we have become friends, so much so that when she was absent for two episodes from the Gf Vip she wanted me as commentator in her place and it was a great gesture – we discovered that she took us on holiday in the same places: Polynesia, New York, today we laugh».
Two against one, poor fellow.
“At the presentation of your book Deep night, last November, I was there too. I wanted Sonia to write the dedication to me. And since at a certain point in the story Paolo spoke of a Japanese woman whom neither she nor I had ever heard of, we put him in the middle, with a playful scene of stereo jealousy: “And now who is this? She speaks, she confesses ”».
Sonia Bruganelli has admitted that he hated her for a long time. ‘Then I met her: a kitten. And I no longer hated her.’
«His was a virtual hatred, perhaps he had idealized my figure, but the five and a half years I spent with Paolo are a crumb, compared to their marriage. Why did I leave him? We loved each other very well and parting was a pain for both of us. I wanted more, a family, but the moment was wrong, our times did not coincide».
What did she really dislike about him?
‘He drove terrible cars, like an old metallic blue Escort with a white mirror that had been salvaged, a snag, I was ashamed to drive around in it. Paolo, on the other hand, paid no attention to it. Watches, cars, clothes, he was spartan, thrifty. Once, as a guest of my parents, in Acilia, he wanted a cigarette, there weren’t any in the house; so he went around the whole building, door to door, to get one offered. In bathrobe and slippers. Gifts? Yes. I remember a tremendous set of yellow suitcases.’
More or less in those years Nek sang: “Laura isn’t here, she’s gone away…”.
“Over the anger, Paolo and I joked about it. And Nek has become one of my best friends. I met him at Superclassifica showand we have always kept in touch, we have a special bond, he often came to me on the radio, I ask him for advice, I like people with a positive energy, like him».
He had a rough time some time ago.
‘Because of a 12-year labor lawsuit that drained my finances. Unfortunately you don’t always meet honest people. I had signed documents that I shouldn’t have signed and to defend myself I burned all my savings, I even had to sell the house that I was still paying for. I could have made a Christmas tree out of the green post cards from the foreclosure notices. I recovered with the cachet of Big Brother VIP, a holy hand.
Speaking of hands: he met Leonardo D’Amico, his partner, hurting three fingers during a beach volleyball match.
«I started playing late, at 36, and I was half a cartridge. During a tournament I took a terrible blow, it didn’t go away, my coach recommended the national team physiotherapist. It was Leonardo. We became friends. We talked, we talked. I sent him signals, but he didn’t, he was from…».
Earthenware.
“Here it is. I asked myself: “But why doesn’t this one try?” So I started teasing him. I invited him to come up to me. “No thank you”. Then he explained to me that he didn’t trust him, he wanted to be sure I was taken. One day he calls me: “I’ll stop by for a coffee in ten minutes”. Panic. I was dressed from home, took a rocket shower. Ready.’
E?
‘The decision has finally been made, hallelujah.’