Bride-to-be who became an overnight celebrity in Italy after her millionaire fiancé accused her of cheating during his speech at engagement party is ‘offered a spot on Big Brother’

An Italian bride-to-be whose wedding was called off after her millionaire fiancé accused her of cheating in a video that has gone viral has reportedly been offered a spot on the country’s Big Brother show.

Glamorous entrepreneur and local politician Cristina Seymandi, 47, was left reeling after banker Massimo Segre, 64, gave a speech to guests at a pre wedding party in his mansion where he publicly accused her of two timing.

It led to the lavish nuptials being called off and a bitter row has now ensued between the pair over privacy and over €700,000 that Cristina transferred from their joint account to her own account.

Now it has emerged that TV bosses allegedly want her on the next edition of Grande Fratello (Big Brother) that begins later this year and according to Italian media, channel owner Pier Silvio Berlusconi, son of the late prime minister Silvio has called to ask her on.

According to some Italian media reports, Cristina Seymandi has denied rumours that she has been invited to appear on the show. 

Massimo Segre (seen in an undated photo) broke up with Cristina Seymandi during their engagement party, when he accused her of cheating in his speech

However, other parts of the Italian media has claimed TV chiefs are desperate to get the mother-of-one onto the show after the story of how she was publicly accused of cheating has dominated headlines for the last two weeks.

A source said: ‘It’s the only thing people are talking about and to get her on the show would be viewing dynamite. 

‘She’s glamorous, attractive and would certainly get people watching. Big names are involved in trying to convince her to appear.’

Earlier this month footage of Segre ‘naming and shaming her’ at their party in his mansion in Turin was posted online before he then went on to say the wedding was off and that she should ‘enjoy her honeymoon in Mykonos with her lover’

He told gobsmacked guests and a stunned Cristina: ‘I want to give Cristina the freedom to love,’ as members of the city’s high society listened during a break in the lavish festivities.

‘Specifically, to love another person; a notable lawyer, who she clearly cares about more than me.

‘Dear Cristina, I know how much you are in love with him mentally and sexually, and I know that before him you had a relationship with an industrialist acquaintance.’

Since the engagement party, a video taken by one of the guests has gone viral, resulting in Cristina becoming the subject of death threats online.

Italian media reported that guests were annoyed at being ‘used’ as part of the show. Stunned, they stared on in silence unsure what to think. 

In a letter to the director of the Zona Bianca TV news programme, Christina said Massimo had committed an act of ‘psychological violence’ and had ‘meticulously planned his revenge’. 

Massimo Segre’s speech in full 

Massimo Segre gives his speech in which he breaks up with Cristina Seymandi

‘Tonight, I’d like to gift Cristina the freedom to love. To love a person, a known lawyer, who she clearly cares more for than me, and who I think managed to become obnoxious just to avoid slighting me. 

‘My dear Cristina, I know how in love you are, both mentally and sexually, how did you manage to self-confide? And I know that before him you had a relationship with a well-known industrialist. 

‘My dear friends, don’t believe that this pleases me to be a cuckold in front of you all, but Cristina was so good at telling her truths that I couldn’t leave it to her to tell the narrative of why I will be leaving her tonight. 

‘What did she say to her poor mother? Because the woman became afraid that her daughter was no longer safe to sleep with me. And so what did she say to all of you that drove away the truth? It’s a banal story of infidelity, even premarital.

‘I am very disappointed, heartbroken. I blame myself for not having understood how a woman can’t really love you if a marriage puts you against your own children, with who I have painstakingly tried to recover a relationship that has deteriorated in these three years. 

‘My dear Cristina, go to Mykonos with your lawyer, be happy with him, you know it’s all paid for, like how he paid for the trip to Vietnam with your daughter, a splendid young lady who I am very disappointed to have been involved in this situation. 

‘I confirm, if you want, when you return we could evaluate how to continue a professional collaboration, however our story ends today. 

‘I wish you happiness with your new partner and to continue shining in the world that you have done all these years. Sorry to you all and good night.’

She added that she had a valuable sapphire ring given to her by Massimo’s mother to mark their engagement which had ‘mysteriously disappeared’ 15 days before the party.

Speaking to The Times, Cristina’s adviser said she will be taking legal action for ‘reputational damage’ against he former fiance.  

‘She has suffered very serious attacks on social media and threats from Italian citizens. It has been traumatic,’ she said.

Her lawyer, Claudio Strata, added that her banker fiance had ‘intentionally humiliated her’.    

‘The letter was read out in front of dozens of people and it was captured in a video that was sent to the newspapers. 

‘We don’t think this was improvised.’ 

Massimo categorically denies having published the video, let alone having allowed it to be filmed.

He has since accused Cristina of stealing €700,00 (£598,000) from the couple’s joint account, but she says the money was transferred with his consent before the relationship ended.   

In an interview with La Stampa, Cristina said that the bags for Mykonos ‘were already packed’ and urged onlookers to reserve judgment: ‘Within every family, the dynamics are very complex and difficult to understand from the outside.’

At the time, she said, she thought he’d gone crazy. ‘He was very tired at the time,’ she said.

‘I am sure there’s someone behind him who fanned the flames. In short, manipulated him.’ 

She also noted: ‘My professional life requires me to react and remain lucid. I will think about possible protections in civil and criminal matters.’ 

Cristina added: ‘It was a farce, let’s face it. Serious things are resolved another way.’

‘Now I will consider whether to sue him,’ she said.

Viviana Ferrero, former vice president of the Turin city council and friend of Cristina, described the ordeal as a ‘sexist lynching’.

She said: ‘Two things hurt me, the end of a beautiful love story and the lynching… it’s been going on for days. A sexist, chauvinist, violent, horrendous lynching.

She went on: ‘Dirty laundry is washed in the family and they, even if for a short time, were a very special family. 

‘And they could have been one of the most beautiful couples there were, because they combined so many qualities. I don’t rejoice when the rich cry.’  

Massimo Segre is a board member of the Domani newspaper and the Directa Sim online trading platform and comes from a powerful family that forms part of northern Italy’s financial elite.

Cristina is chief executive of the Savio door and windows company after the Segre family acquired it in 2019 and she owns 80 per cent of the firm valued at €14 million.

On Tuesday in a brief court hearing in Turin before judge Fabrizio Alessandria, lawyers for the pair discussed the €700,000 transfer with Segre’s team asking for the amount to be frozen in Seymandi’s account.

Her lawyers responded they had paperwork to how the transaction was approved by Segre and above board and the judge ruled he would make a decision on September 5. 

Neither of the couple were present for the hearing.