Gianni Versace's Lover Slams 'American Crime Story' Portrayal of the Designer's Murder as 'Ridiculous'
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Gianni Versace’s longtime lover, Antonio D’Amico, has slammed the way the Italian designer’s murder is to be depicted in upcoming TV drama Versace: American Crime Story.

The latest installment of the series centers on Versace’s 1997 shooting death on the steps outside his palatial home in Miami Beach, Florida.


WATCH: Penelope Cruz Channels Donatella Versace While Filming ‘American Crime Story’

However, D’Amico -- who is portrayed by singer Ricky Martin -- toldThe Guardianthat there is no “trace of reality,” in everything that has been “written and said” about the murder in the last two decades, then noted major errors in images he has seen of Martin filming the aftermath of the shooting.

The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous,” he told The Guardian, comparing the photo to Michelangelo’s Pietà, which shows the body of Jesus in the arms of his mother after being crucified. “Maybe it’s the director’s poetic license, but that is not how I reacted.”

During the interview, D’Amico also recalled the chilling moment, just before 9 a.m. on July 15, 1997, when shots were fired as his boyfriend returned home from buying a newspaper at a nearby café.

“I felt as if my blood had turned to ice,” he said. “The house had stained glass windows, so we couldn’t see what had happened from inside, so we had to open the gate. I saw Gianni lying on the steps, with blood around him. At that point, everything went dark. I was pulled away, I didn’t see any more.”

Following the loss, D’Amico said he entered a “nightmare,” sinking into depression for years, before finally finding love again in 2005. He recently got back into fashion, launching a sportswear line.


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D’Amico told the outlet that he has no plans to watch American Crime Story and wishes Martin would reach out to him to find out “the small things” about his romance with Versace.

“For example, Gianni was so ordered and focused at work but in his private life everything was disorganized,” he shared. “He’d leave the bathroom in a mess. At a certain point, I said ‘Enough!’ And, when it came to cooking, he didn’t even know how to [boil] an egg.”

Check out a sneak peek of Penelope Cruz in her role as Donatella Versace in the series below.